


The Dawn Shard

by astrangerenters



Category: Arashi (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Magic, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-06-30
Updated: 2011-07-28
Packaged: 2017-10-21 22:21:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 30,187
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/230496
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/astrangerenters/pseuds/astrangerenters
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Empire of Janizu has conquered Arashia, Kingdom of the Mages. With the help of two greedy sky pirates and a traitorous Janizian scholar, will the exiled Mage Prince Jun be able to restore Arashia's independence?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Borrowing the basic plot of Final Fantasy XII for this one!

There was a flash of light outside of the tent, then the thundering noise of another firebomb exploding. "The barrier will not hold," one of the nurses said, her hands shaking as gentle tendrils of magic slipped from her fingers to pool around the soldier on the table's wound.

"It will hold," he said, pacing the floor in irritation. "By the gods, my father himself cast that barrier. It shall not fall."

The nurse went back to her healing. "Of course, Your Highness. It is foolish to doubt the king's abilities."

Jun's confidence in his father's abilities, however, was slowly waning with each orange burst of sparks crackling against the powerful magics above and around them, despite his outward determination. The enemy had finally come to their door, and for what purpose, he did not fully understand. For years, their small kingdom had been a powerful ally of Janizu - what Arashia lacked in military strength or natural resources she fully made up for in magic and healing.

For centuries, pilgrims and the ill had flocked to Arashia's borders for medicines and defense, and few were ever turned away. Even the ablest and wealthiest of Janizu sought out Arashia's tacticians to construct magical barriers of protection for everything from their personal items to the chambers of Emperor Kitagawa himself. It seemed, though, that Janizu thought an independent Arashia was too much of a threat.

The tent flap opened, and from the look in his friend's eyes, Jun knew something had gone wrong. "General Oguri?" he asked quietly. "News for me?"

Shun removed his helmet and nodded. "They've weakened the barrier enough to fly small vessels in. The capital is under attack."

"Under attack?" Jun cried. They'd been fighting out in the Arashian desert for weeks, protecting the border. How had Janizu made it all the way to the capital?

"They came from the south, Your Highness," Shun admitted. "Through the mountains, turned enough mages traitor or paid them off to cast just enough spells. We must return at once. I've readied the Fortuna."

It was all falling apart, Jun realized. He was twenty-three years old, and his kingdom was falling. He should have been out at the front line, reinforcing the barriers and fighting amongst the men. He'd let his father's words sway him - he was Arashia's only heir, he needed to stay out of harm's way. So he'd stayed out of sight, moving from tent to tent. Speaking to soldiers, healing wounds, brewing potions. The work of a coward, not of the future king.

He readied his gear, stepping out of the tent and following Shun to the Fortuna. Even as they walked, he could see the small Arashian ships flying overhead, high above the magical barrier that extended from the northern deserts to the southern mountains. The ships of Janizu were ten times their size - it was a country at perpetual war, a country in tireless pursuit of yet another conquest. It had been foolish to think Arashia would remain invulnerable for so long.

The Fortuna, his father's flagship, would take him home to Hanayori. He wondered if his father was out on the castle walls himself, sending flames and lightning against the Janizian vessels. He'd join him, Jun decided. He'd stayed out of the way too long. If this was Arashia's last stand, then his own magic would play a part in it. He entered the ship, feeling a sudden heaviness in his chest, dropping his bag to the floor.

"Shun," he murmured, a headache seizing him. "Shun, something's wrong."

"Yes, Your Highness," Shun said, closing the door and waving for the pilot to take off. "And I apologize."

The headache grew more powerful, an intense stinging within his mind. His limbs were like jelly, and he sank to the floor, paralyzed. He'd been in the tent, perfectly healthy moments earlier. He'd been under the desert sun for only a short time. He raised his hand weakly to his forehead, attempting to summon up the strength to cast a healing spell. It only made the headache more powerful, and he winced. "Shun, what's wrong with me?"

He looked up, seeing the pain in the General's face. They'd grown up side by side, learning spells together, training together. He'd never seen Shun look that way before. "I am sorry. But our country has been breached. The king wanted us to fight, to resist..."

"And we have resisted," Jun murmured, trying to sit up, leaning against the Fortuna's bulkhead as he struggled against the pain. It couldn't be happening - it wasn't possible. Not Shun. Not his oldest friend. "We have resisted to the last mage, and we will resist until Arashia is free once again."

"No," Shun said simply. "Too many have died. And too many will die for as long as we fight them. It is in the best interest of your people that we surrender."

"You've stolen it," Jun said, holding his hand out. As the heir to the most powerful mage dynasty, all he needed to do was snap his fingers, and he could set his best friend aflame. Nothing was happening. His magic was gone. "What have you done, Shun?"

Shun sighed, knocking on the bulkhead. "Reinforced metal from a Janizian mine. Anti-magic, as you know. You won't be casting anything in here. And I am truly sorry to do this to you."

They'd put Janizian metal in his father's own flagship? Jun tried to move, dragging his weakening body along the floor. What good was a mage prince if he had no magic? What good was he to his kingdom? He tried to reach for Shun, to discover that it was all a silly prank and the Fortuna was well on its way to Hanayori to join the castle's last stand. "Traitor," Jun said. "You're a traitor! You will take me to the capital and let me join my father!"

Shun moved, setting his boot down on top of Jun's fingers. "Your father is dead. And soon everyone will know. The war is over..."

"You lie!" Jun cried.

"I wouldn't," Shun said, foot pressing down harder. "Not to you. Not about your father."

His father was dead? It was impossible. His father was the most powerful mage in the world. But at the same time, if even his top general had turned on him...

"Why won't you kill me?" he asked, feeling tears sting his eyes. "You know I will fight you."

"The Janizians have other plans for you."

Jun had failed. Utterly failed. He was useless at the front lines, useless to see that even his best friend desperately wanted the war to end. Arashia had fallen, and Jun was king. A king who would most likely not be crowned. Things were happening so quickly, and the pain was too intense. All he could do was curl up on the floor of what had once been Arashia's finest ship - a ship that would be nothing but scrap metal to the Janizian fleet. He felt Shun's hands around his wrists, fastening metal bracelets. Wherever he was going, Jun's magic was to be suppressed. He was worthless.

When the Fortuna had been moored on the Arashian desert bluffs, Jun had been the prince and heir to a powerful kingdom - when the Fortuna landed again, Jun was a powerless prisoner of Janizu. They'd moored in Genji, south of the Janizian capital. He'd healed people here before during goodwill missions on his father's behalf. Night had fallen, but the city was aglow in celebration. As they led him from the airship to a small estate in the center of the city, he could hear the cheers. Arashia truly had fallen, and another land had come under Janizu's sway.

Like the Fortuna, the walls of his fancy prison were lined with the same anti-magic metal, though the pain in his mind was more a lingering throb - as though a flowing faucet had suddenly been twisted off. His magic was thoroughly suppressed. Shun bowed low to him. "Once again, I ask your forgiveness," the General said quietly. "I thought only of Arashia and the safety of her people."

Jun didn't respond.

"You will remain here as a guest of Emperor Kitagawa," Shun explained. "Until you see reason. Then you will be installed as Arashia's governor."

"I would be their puppet?" Jun asked bitterly.

Shun nodded. "Yes. And I think that in the end, you want what is best for your kingdom, Your Highness. As your friend, I know you better than anyone..."

Jun sat heavily in the large chair before the bedchamber's fireplace. "If only I'd known you in equal measure."

General Oguri bowed once more and departed. Jun stared out the window, having gone from prince to prisoner in the span of a day. The sparks he'd seen earlier over Arashia's magical barrier were now replaced with the sight of a rainbow of fireworks exploding in victory.

Arashia was lost.

\--

FOUR YEARS LATER

\--

Jun stared at the tea pot, concentrating with all his might. The bracelets around his wrists stung, burning his flesh as he tried to summon heat. He stared and stared, willing the contents inside to bubble. Exhausted after nearly an hour's focus, he relaxed, sitting back in his seat and scowling.

It appeared that tea would remain elusive today. In four long years' captivity, he'd spent a large part of his days meditating, attempting to regain some use of his power. Though Janizu conspired against him in both the construction of his prison and in the glimmering shackles on his wrists, he would never fully surrender to their wishes. And thus after four years, he remained in their custody, growing fat off of the rich Janizian food while he heard whispers that his traitorous friend yet ruled over Hanayori and all of Arashia, maintaining martial law.

Though Jun learned little of the outside from his guards, he could always hear the gossiping maids in the courtyard. They'd whisper about the magic suppression in Hanayori, how Janizian metal posts had been driven into the cement - how forcibly removing them could earn the death sentence. This was the solution Shun had chosen - instead of fighting for Arashian sovereignty, he'd turned everything they had over to Janizu. Medicine production had plummeted, thousands of mages and healers were out of work or forcibly suppressed to keep them from rebelling. Arashia was dying, slowly but surely.

In a month's time, things would be changing. Emperor Kitagawa had come personally to inform him. As Prince Jun of Arashia had remained "largely uncooperative," there seemed little point in a continued life of luxurious exile. He was to be shuttled off to a mine for hard labor - and being surrounded by all the metallic ore would surely end his life within a few months. What story any Arashian resistance would be told would surely differ. Since Jun would not be taking over as Janizu's puppet governor, the Emperor's grandson Akanishi Jin would be installed as Arashia's new leader.

Jun didn't much care. His exile had been long and pointless, his hours wasted as they sent scholar after scholar to attend to him. Day after day, they'd done their best to indoctrinate him, to proselytize about how glorious an entire world ruled by Janizu might be. All had failed. He'd asked again and again to be executed, to ensure that with his death any Arashian resistance would be quashed and no more lives would be lost. To simply let the Janizian grip on his homeland be relaxed. He had no magic, no sway, nothing remaining to him. He had nothing to fight for but for his people to have some measure of the freedom they used to enjoy.

In his earliest days, he'd been more defiant. Flinging tea pots and his meal trays, refusing to eat until they had to forcibly feed him. Attacking the guards with whatever he had until they'd taken out anything from his rooms that might cause harm to himself or others. What remained was his furniture (bolted to the floor) and the books (all Janizian propaganda and wishful thinking). It had been so long since he'd cast that he'd largely forgotten what it felt like to have the power rushing through his veins, the confidence and strength it had given him. Now he simply didn't care.

The door opened. They'd long since stopped announcing themselves, any respect for his title or standing, or even that of his father's, had long since ceased to matter to them. Where he expected it to be his latest scholarly companion in a long line of them, old man Ogura had not come to his chamber that day. Instead there were two men - Nishikido the head guard and a man he had never seen. The newest man was obviously a scholar from his spectacles, fancy clothing, and armload of scrolls, but he differed from all the others in age. He was maybe the same age as Jun himself.

Nishikido seemed as bored as always. Whether Nishikido's apathy had worn off on Jun or vice versa, the guards paid him little mind. "Ogura has given up on you. Can't blame him," Nishikido explained, hand brushing against his scabbard as it usually did to serve as Jun's only reminder that the man was armed. "Your new friend."

The scholar had neatly trimmed dark hair and a round but handsome face. Unlike most Janizians who lived in poverty so that their empire might be at constant war, this man was well-fed. Someone of influence or from it. "Sakurai Sho," he introduced himself. "I'm a lecturer at Keio Academy."

"Matsumoto Jun, King-in-exile of Arashia," he replied with little enthusiasm. "But I suppose you knew that."

"Get along, gents," Nishikido said with a tip of his helmet before departing, locking the door to Jun's chambers. Jun got up from the table, wandering to the window that overlooked the courtyard. They'd installed iron bars to take away the temptation to jump a few years prior.

"Keio Academy," Jun mused. "That's a top institution."

"It is, Your Highness."

He started at that, turning on his guest in confusion. Most of the scholars who'd been sent to make him "play nice" had disregarded his title long before. Some had even been coarse enough to address him by his given name. "And what is your specialty, Mr. Sakurai? Analysis of the mind? They've had several of those try to come lecture me over the years, and I'm afraid you'll be wasting your time the same as them."

The man pushed his spectacles up further on his nose, undeterred. "Magic actually."

Jun stared. "Magic?"

The man turned red, finally settling the scrolls on the dining table, rifling through them as if to busy his hands. "Ah, more like magic theory. Practical applications of magic. That sort of thing. A purely scholarly standpoint, I assure you."

He leaned against the wall, letting the dull breeze waft into the room. Month after month, they'd sent orators and professors to try and sway him. They'd yet to send him anyone who knew a thing about him. "Well, you're a bit late, Mr. Sakurai. For you see, in a few weeks I'll be returning to the job force. Working a pickaxe with convicts and criminals at the Rurapenthe mines. So I wouldn't want to waste your time when you could be, ah, practically applying magic somewhere."

The man chuckled, revealing a rather toothy smile that seemed charming and almost kind. The Janizians were so militaristic, so lacking in humor. Sakurai was a strange one. "It doesn't hurt to try, Your Highness. In truth, I lobbied for the opportunity to speak with you."

It seemed to Jun as though most of the unfortunate saps sent to waste their time on him had been retired or had displeased the Emperor in some way. And yet this Sakurai had volunteered? "Are you writing a treatise, Sakurai? Are you here to study me? There's not much to say. I allowed my country to slip right through my fingers, I've lost everything. You'd only get a sad little tale of a sad little man."

Sakurai studied him, but not as a specimen in a jar. There was something a bit softer in the man's gaze. "I heard that His Grace, the Emperor's grandson, would be taking the governorship. I thought that perhaps I could convince you to keep that from happening."

Jun crossed his arms. "Why? Does it matter who's living in my father's castle in the end? Does it matter when your people whip mine into submission, force them into these bracelets to suppress the very thing that helps put food on the table?"

Sakurai didn't answer, instead unrolling several of the scrolls before gesturing for Jun to have a seat. "As someone who studies what is probably something second nature to you, I hope you'll forgive my ignorance. I've been studying the top mage families of Arashia, including your family line. To have a better understanding of Arashia's politics, history, that sort of thing."

"I see."

Sakurai gestured to a rather old duplication of Jun's family tree, back several generations from the look of the names and the writing system that had long since been simplified. "Here, at the beginning of the current line of succession, and by that I mean your ancestor Matsumoto Akihiko, are you able to translate what's written here beside his name? I'm afraid the old script still eludes me in places..."

Jun sighed, glancing over the handwritten charts, painstakingly copied and illuminated. "Matsumoto Akihiko, it says. Then here beside it the text reads 'ascended by birthright.'"

Sakurai scooted his seat over until he was side by side with Jun. The man had the strangest scent - the refined smell of elegant cologne, and yet something else - as though he'd been in some smoky tavern just prior to his visit. Not that Genji wasn't full of them, being such an important trading town near the border with Arashia. However, a Keio Academy scholar would definitely be out of place in one. "Ascended by birthright, just as I thought, but thank you indeed for confirming that. Not too many yet familiar with the old writings..."

"You killed most of the mage scholars when you invaded Hanayori," Jun accused, even though Sakurai himself had obviously not done so. Jun, however, had little interest in curbing his tongue or his opinions on the Janizian war machine. "So no, I'd say there aren't many people left who can read it."

The man did not seem offended at all. "And what is the birthright, Your Highness? What does it mean to ascend by birthright in your history? Obviously all of Matsumoto Akihiko's descendants followed him to the throne, but what put him there in the first place? Was it a choice amongst your people centuries earlier to crown him or...?"

It had been a long time since Jun had nodded off to the tutor's words back in his father's castle. When he'd been younger and rebellious, he'd done his best to ignore history, focusing instead on improving his abilities and healing arts. What had it mattered back then to concern himself with the history of the family dynasty when it had seemed so obvious that he would succeed anyhow? Was Sakurai writing some book? What did he care? But Jun found himself pondering the question, weighing it over in his mind. Something about Sakurai's seeming earnestness kept him from rejecting him outright. "Well, there was the Dawn Shard."

Sakurai's eyes widened behind his spectacles. "And what was that?"

Too many dates, places, names in his head, Jun thought worriedly. What was it? What had that old tutor rambled on about? "The Dawn Shard was, if I remember correctly, a stone of incredible power. It had been in Matsumoto Akihiko's family for generations, but only he was able to unlock the power within the stone. It helped him construct the first magic barrier over part of Hanayori. Of course, the mages got better. The Shard became nothing more than a story as they learned to use their own abilities to create barriers."

"But a man possessing the stone could, in effect, be described as the proper leader of Arashia?" Sakurai asked.

Jun scratched his head. Between his failed attempt with the teapot and the scholar's odd curiosity, his brain was starting to ache. "Well, I suppose, yes. It's probably just a piece of rock. I could chuck it at your Emperor, but where would that get me in terms of wishing for independence?"

Sakurai laughed, scribbling down some notes with a pencil. "Dawn Shard, was it? A rather simple name. You Arashian mages always were practical in your naming."

"We can't all be Janizian," Jun retorted, growing annoyed.

"So where might this Dawn Shard be now?"

"Why, so the Emperor's grandson could charm his latest courtesan with it? Turn it into a present?"

Sakurai's face changed. He slipped off his spectacles, setting them down on the table. Any sense of joviality seemed to vanish in an instant. "Your Highness, with that stone, you might be able to throw the Emperor out of Arashia entirely." Jun was startled as Sakurai dug through the other scrolls, pointing to the ancient writing on another piece of parchment. "Right here, 'And the Dawn Shard, blessed and made sacrosanct by His Holiness, Guardian Kondo...'"

"Just a moment," Jun interrupted, staring his visitor down. "I thought you couldn't read that."

"I lied. Forgive me," Sakurai replied, eyes scanning the document further. "Yes, yes, it continues. 'His Holiness, Guardian Kondo swore on this date that whosoever possesses the Dawn Shard shall maintain the realm of Arashia in perpetuity.' Perpetuity, Your Highness."

"Hold on now," he whispered, trying to get Sakurai to quiet down, grabbing hold of his wrist. He didn't need Nishikido overhearing them outside the door. "What the hell are you going on about? Stones and Guardians and all this. Are you attempting to trap me? Are you trying to start a rebellion of your own? Because I will not play a part of it..."

Sakurai's face was utterly serious. "Your Highness. You've been in here for four years, and for four years I have worked tirelessly to get myself into a position where I might be able to see you. Janizu is out of control. We cannot sustain such a sprawling empire. You need only claim this stone, have it verified by the current Guardian..."

Jun shook his head. "No, no, you're absolutely insane. The Guardian is not a secular leader. The Emperor would not simply acknowledge the opinion of a prophet if I show up with an old rock." For centuries, the Guardians in the Cloud City of Kaibutsu had been the spiritual leaders of the world - they'd turned a blind eye to the sufferings of all the nations who'd fallen under Janizu's sway before. What would really get them to intervene now after so many years?

"The Emperor might not acknowledge the Guardian, but the people would." Sakurai gestured again to the scroll. "The word of a Guardian is enough to redraw boundary lines. Your people could be freed, and any claim Janizu has on Arashia could be revoked. If the Emperor defies the Guardian, he would surely be overthrown."

"You could get yourself drawn and quartered in the town square for the treason you speak," Jun reminded his eager new scholar friend.

"It is a risk I'm willing to take, Your Highness," Sakurai said.

"And why?" he asked the man. "What does a Janizian care about Arashian independence? What could you possibly have to gain in seeing me on the throne?"

Sakurai got to his feet, gathering up his scrolls. "My reasons are my own, sir. And if you could kindly yell at me and demand for me to leave, the guards will have little cause to believe we may be plotting."

"We aren't plotting," Jun replied. "You're plotting. I never agreed to your foolish scheme. I have every intention of blinking out like an old star, as is the Emperor's wish in seeing me banished. My fate has already been decided."

Sakurai left one scroll behind, the family tree. "Then you are a disgrace to your heritage, Prince Jun. I thank you for your time and will return in a week in the event you reconsider."

Jun fumed. Who was this man to pass judgment on him or his heritage? A wealthy scholar with nothing but time and money to waste on studying pointless things. "Get out of here then!" he shouted, not dismissing Sakurai solely because of his request. "You won't convince me of anything!"

Sakurai's eyes were almost amused as Nishikido returned. Sakurai bowed to him. "Very good, Your Highness."

"I told you, Sakurai, he's a grumpy waste of space," Nishikido said, escorting the guest out.

Jun knocked the family tree off the table, heading for his bed in a huff. Stones and Guardians, ancient history. Nothing but a dream - there was no way he'd get out of his confinement to even retrieve the stone. And what's more, the tomb of King Akihiko where the stone was hidden (according to Jun's memory of the legend) had been untouched for decades. It lay far beyond the civilized portions of Arashia, lingering in the west past the Sea of Sand. Arashia's top mages had been unable to fully tame the wild wastes - without the aid of mages, it was just another bit of geography on the Janizian territorial maps.

He rolled onto his side, shutting his eyes. But perhaps Sakurai was right. Unlike the other scholars who'd done nothing but try to turn him to the Janizian cause, Sakurai had come to him with a treasonous plot that would see Jun's people freed. Was Sakurai lying? Was it actually a trap? No, he thought. Not with the way Sakurai had read the ancient writing with no difficulty. It was too unique a skill for an interrogator or brainwasher, especially amongst the Janizians.

He dreamt that night and in the several following about the way it would feel for his true powers to flow once more. From something as easy as freezing water in a glass to redirecting a lightning bolt as it emerged from a cloud. He'd grown too comfortable in Genji, too complacent. In three weeks, he'd be shuffled off to a mine. In three months, the mine would probably sap what remaining life he had in him. If Sakurai meant to trick him, then let it be a trick, Jun decided.

He imagined his father, casting and strengthening barriers. His father would be ashamed at the sight of him, allowing the Janizians to send him off to death when more Arashians were being killed or were suffering.

Jun found himself reading over the family tree Sakurai had left behind, tracing his fingers over Matsumoto Akihiko's name, over the names of all those who had preceded him. They'd been kings and queens, guiding and watching over the Arashian people. He'd see to it that he did the same. If this was his one and only chance after four years, then by the gods, he was going to take it.

\--

Nishikido ushered in Sakurai once more. "I did not say you could bring this man here again," Jun grumbled, hoping that his acting skills were enough to convince the guard.

The man rolled his eyes as was his custom. "That's too bad. The Emperor's far more kindhearted than I'd be in his position. He still seems to think you can be rehabilitated."

Sakurai entered quietly, and Nishikido locked the door after him. Rehabilitation, Jun thought bitterly. More like trying to turn Jun against his own people. Sakurai bowed as he had previously, not meeting Jun's eyes. "Your Highness."

Jun moved to the table, unraveling the family tree. "I've given your foolish ideas some thought," he said first, not wanting to give the Janizian any feeling of victory. Jun was a little too proud to give the man that much credit for changing his mind. "And after some consideration, I am inclined to take back Arashia. For the sake of my people, whom I've abandoned for far too long. So then. We get the Dawn Shard, we get to the Guardian, he says I'm the true king. All too simple, I'm sure."

Sakurai looked up, thrilled at Jun's change of heart. His hands were shaking, and he gripped the table to calm himself. Jun would have thought it charming if the pair of them weren't plotting his escape. "Simple isn't a word I'd use for this adventure, sir."

Jun sat back in his seat, his bracelets clanking against the wooden chair. "And should you attempt to spring me and fail, you and I shall both die spectacular deaths. Yours would be especially painful. Your people do like to give more demonstrative lessons to traitors among their own ranks." A few years earlier, one of the guards had given Jun some sweets and had received a savage beating in the courtyard outside for "sympathizing with the prisoner."

Sakurai nodded. "If you feign illness, they'll send for a doctor. They won't release you for that, not even for the most serious ailment. I'm afraid, Your Highness, that you'll have to leave this place in a rather sorry state."

"How sorry?" Jun asked.

"Well, dead." Sakurai held up a hand as soon as Jun opened his mouth to protest. "Dead in appearance. I've been studying my share of potions, and I'd like to think that even if I lack the gifts of your people, I'm not that awful at brewing things. I'll slip you a serum, you'll drink it and appear to be dead. You'll be taken from this place to the capital. The Emperor will want proof of your demise. Before you get there, you'll be spirited away. I'll revive you, and we'll make our way to Akihiko's tomb."

Jun didn't much like how much he'd have to rely on Sakurai. Potions that gave the appearance of death used forbidden herbs, and Arashia had long since stopped the practice of manipulative medicine - not when so many people needed to be alive rather than dead in the first place. How in the world had Sakurai learned such a skill? And he didn't like the idea of being out of control of his own body - what if Sakurai failed with the antidote? What if Sakurai failed to get him away from Genji? What if the potion didn't work in the first place?

He asked all of those questions in quick succession, anger growing as Sakurai simply nodded at each concern of his in turn.

"I guess you'll just have to trust me," Sakurai said quietly. "You don't know me, this is only our second meeting, but I've known you for a lot longer. Or I feel as if I have. I've researched your history, your family, your life and childhood..."

Jun turned in his seat, facing away. "So you're some kind of obsessive fan?"

"Err," Sakurai mumbled, looking down, "I wouldn't say that precisely, but you're the true heir to your realm. A realm that served a greater purpose before Janizu decided it wanted another chunk of the world under its sway. An independent Arashia can lend aid to other countries and peoples. And since I've researched your role as your father's envoy, I know of your leadership capabilities. You are the only one with the right to rule Arashia, and the only one with the ability."

Jun didn't know if Sakurai was just trying to kiss his ass or if he actually thought Jun would be a good leader. He suspected the former, and secretly wished for the latter. His father had been a skilled mage - he'd heard the whispers and doubts among the ministers in the years before the war. Will Prince Jun be a worthy successor someday?

"So I'm to let you poison me?" he asked as calmly as he could. "You may know me, Mr. Sakurai, but how do I know you'll keep your word? Will you not give me some token of your promise? If I am to die by your hand and your poison, then I think it only fair that I have some trinket of yours that will incriminate you if this little plan goes south. Some ring or keepsake that will tell the Emperor that Sakurai Sho of Keio Academy was responsible?"

Sakurai smiled at him. "And if you're dead in a pool of your own vomit by my hand, what's to stop me from retrieving that trinket and clearing my good name before your body's even cold?"

Jun smarted at that. He leaned forward, elbows on the table, to meet the man's eyes. They were large and brown with obvious intelligence swirling within them. "You won't kill me," Jun said aloud, maybe for his own benefit as much as Sakurai's. "You can't kill me. If your plot is for real, then you need me alive at all costs. If your plan is false and you're just trying to lure me into a trap, it makes no sense for you to get me killed when Rurapenthe will do it for you."

Sakurai set his hand down on the table, palm up. "What if we shook on it? Or would you prefer I swear an oath? I, Sakurai Sho, promise to betray my homeland to see my enemy retake his conquered nation?"

Jun sighed, holding out his hand and allowing Sakurai to shake it. "It is suicide you're seeking. Are you so very confident in yourself? In me?"

Sakurai still had not released his hand. "You've been to Mita."

Jun frowned. "I'm sorry?"

"Mita. A district in the capital. Seven years ago, as a diplomatic envoy and healer. I saw you there, in Mita when I was still a student." Sakurai looked far more serious, squeezing Jun's hand. "I saw you lay your hands upon sick children, and within minutes they were running around without a care in the world. I saw you that day, Your Highness, and maybe it was then that I knew what importance Arashia held."

Jun tried to remember - how many towns and cities had he visited? Mita? He'd been to Janizu's capital several times, visiting the sick and lending aid. It was just what he'd always done back then. But he looked up, seeing the sincerity in the scholar's eyes. Somehow, seven years ago, even though he couldn't remember it at all, he'd helped people and changed Sakurai's life. Changed Sakurai's life to the extent that he'd followed Jun's every move for years, studying his history in the hopes of being able to be granted an audience.

What had Sakurai had to do to get himself placed at the table before him? What had he sacrificed, all for the opportunity to meet him?

"I believe that Arashia is yours to reclaim, sir," Sakurai said, his face turning pink as he seemed to realize he hadn't yet let go of Jun's hand. He released it quickly, and Jun was surprised to find himself missing the man's firm, honest grip. "And though I may not be of much use to you as a companion, allow me to help you in finding the Dawn Shard. If only to see the world right again."

"You would risk everything?" His status in Janizian society? His position at Keio Academy? His family, if he had any to leave behind?

Sakurai nodded solemnly. "I would."

Sakurai Sho, Jun thought. Who are you?

"Very well. I trust your potion will find its way here?"

"In another two weeks' time. I still need some ingredients, and black market trading is unreliable as you might imagine."

"Cutting it awfully close," Jun pointed out. In a little more than two weeks, Jin would be Arashia's governor and Jun would be in the mines, forgotten.

"It'll be perfect," Sakurai said. "Trust me."

\--

Jun passed the next two weeks in nervous anticipation, saving most of his overt paranoia for the evenings when he'd lay awake and question everything that had happened between him and this Sakurai Sho. To think that someone so high up in Janizian society would throw it all away to see a small country of mages regain its sovereignty. And all because he simply believed in Jun, and that all based on one random day where he'd taken away a sick child's pain. Surely the healing power of a mage wasn't all that impressive.

He ate little, slept little, knowing that each minute ticking by was one minute closer to his freedom or his most definite death. He wanted to believe in Sakurai the way the man seemed to believe in him, but it was obviously easier on the person who didn't have to fake their own death. How many times had he been lectured about forbidden concoctions when he was younger? How many times had he been told that the medicinal arts should be used only to heal and never to harm?

But as Sakurai promised, the tiny vial of dark blue arrived in two weeks, mere days before Jun was set to be shipped off to the Rurapenthe mines. Nishikido hadn't even inspected the rolls of parchment that Sakurai had sent over - the scholar had covered them with so many Janizian seals and official-looking Keio Academy stamps that no one had thought to unravel them and find the vial hidden within.

Sakurai was waiting for him. Sakurai had surely brewed an antidote. The man obviously had some sort of plan to get him out of the estate, maybe even out of Genji. He rolled the glass vial between his palms, muttering out loud to himself. "Sakurai Sho, what is the meaning of all this? Father, what must I do? What must I do?"

He finally uncorked the vial, giving it a sniff. Nothing out of the ordinary, and it had an almost sweet aroma. Deceptively so. Jun wondered if historians would look back and note the occasion - the night Matsumoto Jun, King-in-exile, sipped a sweet poison and died. Or the night Matsumoto Jun, King-in-exile, sipped a sweet poison as the very first step on his way to freeing his people?

He put all his hopes into the small droplets as they hit his tongue. Death was coming - his heart would stop, and whatever Sakurai had brewed for an antidote would have to restart it. Though the man was no mage, the liquid itself was potent, and the vial fell out of his hand, smashing onto the tiled floor of his chambers. He could already feel himself start to seize up before his head hit the pillow.

He thought of the sincerity in Sakurai's face, the feeling of the man's hand in his own. To think that the fate of a nation rested with the poison now coating his throat. He felt no pain, only a curious sense of floating as his eyes fluttered closed.

\--

The first thing he smelled was so foul that he was over on his side, heaving up whatever was in his stomach even before he opened his eyes. He coughed, feeling someone's hand rubbing his back. Where was he? He was alive. By the gods, he was still alive.

"I'm very sorry to bring you here, Your Highness," he heard behind him as he opened his eyes and spat into a damp pile of straw.

Sakurai had managed to revive him. Jun took the offered handkerchief from Sakurai's hand, wiping his mouth. He turned back over, seeing the scholar not in his usual finery, but in a dark traveling cloak that had obviously seen better days. His fancy spectacles were nowhere in sight. Somehow, he knew he was no longer on the estate where he'd wasted four years of his life. "You've brought me to a stable?"

"An empty stable, at least," Sakurai assured him, loosening the strings on a pack beside him to hand Jun a flask. "Water."

Jun took it gratefully, rinsing his mouth. The stable might have been empty, but traces of animal stench remained. Sakurai himself looked none too pleased with the smell either. "And where is this empty stable?"

"We're still in Genji," Sakurai explained, his voice a little less controlled than it had been during their previous meetings. Plotting treason and actually going through with it were two different things entirely. "I couldn't allow you to be moved very far. Your guard was paid off."

If the Emperor discovered Nishikido's complicity, the man would surely be executed. Not that Jun had been overly fond of him, but the guard had never given the impression of disloyalty to the Empire. He wondered how much of Sakurai's personal wealth had gone into this venture. "And my death?"

"Has already been widely reported," Sakurai assured him. "The Emperor's no fool. Better to declare you dead outright than to declare you missing. It would be an embarrassment if the truth was revealed. That's not to say they aren't looking for you. Or for me." Sakurai opened the pack, handing Jun a plain cotton shirt and trousers and a worn, but sturdy pair of leather boots. "Afraid it's a bit more humble than you're accustomed to, but we can't have you waltzing about in fancy things."

Jun accepted the clothes. It explained the bizarre scent Sakurai had had on their meetings - his posh cologne mingled with the scent of lower class establishments. Bartering for clothing, bartering for all the materials that would make the two of them disappear from polite society or polite imprisonment. He slowly got to his feet, shaking off Sakurai's offered hand.

"I am a king, you know," Jun said quietly. "I don't require your help. And as a scholar of my people, you ought to know that to come in physical contact with me is a violation of Arashian law."

"Oh," Sakurai murmured, flushing scarlet. "Forgive me, I did not intend any offense by it..."

He clapped the man on the shoulder and laughed. "I am teasing you." Sakurai truly had gotten him out and had cured him. He didn't much like the thought of it, but Jun owed the man his life. "Thank you. You are a man of your word."

Sakurai was still red in the face, crouching down to tie up his pack once more. "The city is in lockdown. Officially, they are spreading rumors of a plague. Unofficially..."

"It's a manhunt to see if we try to leave."

"Precisely."

"And you planned for this contingency?" Jun asked him, unbuttoning the silk shirt he'd worn in captivity. Sakurai turned around to face the stable wall. Jun had almost grown accustomed to a lack of privacy. He was grateful for Sakurai's politeness after so long.

"I did. They're examining every airship that leaves the aerodrome. On paper, to ensure the crew isn't carrying the infection out of the city. In truth, they're ensuring that we're not smuggled within. Which is why we'll have to find ourselves some rather skilled pirates."

Pirates? Sky pirates? Nothing but lawless smugglers. Treasure hunting plunderers who time and time again had caused problems for Arashia. How many medicines en route to a war zone or a town in need had gone missing, only for sky pirates to resell them on the black market? How many times had protective barriers failed due to pirate traps and trickery? And now Jun's revolution would rely on the same unscrupulous types? Surely it would fail.

He told Sakurai as much as he pulled on the new slacks. "Perhaps as someone from wealth and privilege, you haven't had to deal with their ilk before. We tried several sky pirates in the Arashian courts. I've seen my fair share. You can't trust a word they say. They'll just as soon drop you off in the desert naked and run off with all your valuables."

"There may yet be an honorable man amongst them..."

He sighed. "This is your great plan? Enlist the aid of thieves and criminals? Oh, it'll look wonderful if we find the shard, get shot between the eyes, and die in Akihiko's tomb while the pirates sell it for beer. Or, allowing for there to be some honor in them, how the Guardian would react if a fugitive king, his Janizian traitor friend, and a sky pirate wander into Kaibutsu looking for acknowledgment. It is a dream, Sakurai. A dream you are having," he said. Jun slapped his hand against the stable wall in his frustration. "I should have asked you for more details. If I'd known you were going to put me in the care of sky pirates I would have been on my peaceful way to the mines by now!"

"Your Highness..."

"No! This is unacceptable! If this is all your scheming has brought you, then it's best I head out of my own accord. I stand a better chance of survival by walking to the damned tomb than I do aboard a pirate's vessel."

To Jun's surprise, Sakurai grabbed him by the wrist, yanking him close. "I have done everything I could!"

"You will unhand me," Jun demanded, but Sakurai's grip was tight.

"No, you will listen to me first," Sakurai ordered, and Jun could see the suffering in the man's face. The dark circles from lack of sleep, his slightly sunken cheeks where they'd been more rounded on their first meeting. The man had been under more pressure and stress than Jun had given him credit for. "I have walked away from everything that is precious to me, all so that you might be free. All because I believe, foolishly, that you are someone who can make a difference in this world."

Sakurai shook his wrist, and Jun watched the bracelet there jangle about. "I can brew potions and set plans in motion, but only you can unseal Akihiko's tomb. I do not have the capability of breaking these bracelets. I do not have the capability of commandeering a ship. These are things a sky pirate will accept pay to do. So you can walk away and die with the bracelets of your conqueror around your wrist, content in your martyrdom, or you can do as I say and enlist the assistance of sky pirates."

The bracelets. What good was he without his magic? No amount of practice and strain in his imprisonment had restored his power to him. He wouldn't survive long in the wilderness without any means to protect himself. Sakurai decided not to wait for an answer, shouldering his pack and heading for the stable door.

"It is after dark now. The Lowtown taverns will be full of pirates eager for coin."

He sighed and decided to follow. Sky pirates. And he'd thought his kingdom falling had been insulting enough - now he'd require the help of pirates in order to see Arashia restored. And at his side for this journey would be a strangely passionate Janizian scholar - not the typical partner in a rebellion, but Jun was finding himself oddly interested in this Sakurai Sho. Easy to embarrass, yet easy to anger - not even Jun's father had had such faith in him as Sakurai seemed to have. For some reason, Jun didn't want to let the man's devotion to his cause go to waste.


	2. Chapter 2

The taverns of the Genji Lowtown district were raucous, even with word of plague keeping most citizens indoors. Sakurai had bartered an old woman for a cloak for Jun, and together, the two of them wandered the dark back alleys quietly. Jun hoped they looked more like wanderers than fugitives. Sho had already scolded him for walking like a royal, but it wasn't something Jun could really unlearn. He did his best to slouch a bit, shuffle his footsteps, but he felt like a fool. And it wasn't as though Sakurai didn't hold himself like a man of means either.

They made their way through several taverns, spying few pirates. Sky pirates were easily noticed - they usually kept their pistols out on the tabletop as a way of claiming their seats. They also wore flashy clothes, flaunting the wealth they'd gained through dishonorable means. However, it seemed as though none of those in the Genji Lowtown were ready to set out of port any time soon. He and Sakurai made it to the end of one Lowtown street, the scholar's hopes decreasing with every rejection. A tavern with a flickering green gaslight was probably their last chance that night - otherwise they'd have to risk a night in the stable.

The Green Dragon was a dark establishment within, the tables and wooden benches set back in the shadows under low candlelight. Smoke wafted through the air from all kinds of illegal pipes, and Jun was glad he had nothing left in his stomach to throw up. He and Sakurai lowered their hoods before having a seat at the bar. "Two Janizian ales, please," Sakurai ordered, slipping a silver coin across the bar.

They sipped their beer calmly, Sakurai's tired eyes lazily flicking around the room. Jun tried to do the same, but it was difficult to see anyone. "We'd have to go right up and say hello," Jun murmured.

But to their mutual surprise, a sky pirate approached them first. The stool to Jun's right was soon occupied by a lanky fellow in a bright shirt and vest and with his trouser legs rolled up to his calves like the streets had flooded. The guy slapped a coin down on the counter. "That Janizian ale? Don't make port here too often, and my friend and I usually stick to the hard stuff." He leaned forward, his wild eyes and hair giving Jun a bit of a start, as did the shiny earring that had been pierced through the cartilage in the middle of his ear. "Would you recommend it?"

"Sure," Jun said, nudging Sho to his left with his foot. Luckily Jun had no money pouch on him if this pirate was trying to pickpocket him during their small talk.

"Ah," the guy said, smiling big. "You see, I'm from Makuhari. You've heard of Makuhari?"

"Way to the east," Sho said. "Quite far in fact."

"Yeah!" the pirate crowed. "The greatest country in the world. The absolute best." The bartender gave him a funny look, and the pirate giggled. "Gods bless the Emperor here of course, right?"

There was another pirate on Sho's left now, tapping his fingers against the bar counter. He was short where the other was tall, more guarded where the other was a chatterbox. "Masaki," the smaller pirate complained. "Do you ever shut your trap?"

"I was just asking about the beer, you know," Masaki the sky pirate grumbled.

"You're bothering these gentlemen," his friend said. Jun could already see Sho looking to start a conversation, but the pirate's mouth was quicker. "Unless these gentlemen are inclined to buy us all a round? Join us?"

No, he wanted to tell Sho. These had to be unscrupulous pirates the same as the others. The chatty one for the distraction, the smaller one for the actual trickery. But Sho set a few more coins on the counter. "Sir, if you'd bring four more Janizian ales to their table, we'll be relocating."

And they were off the stools like that, Jun trailing behind as the smaller pirate wrapped his arm around Sho's back like they were long-lost friends. They headed for the far corner of The Green Dragon. They ushered Sho and Jun to the seats against the wall while the pirates stayed at their sides, effectively trapping them. Had they looked that out of place at the bar?

The pirates sat lazily, sloppily, as though they didn't have a care in the world. "The name's Nino," the shorter one said with a rather wicked grin. "What brings you gents to The Green Dragon?"

Jun watched Sho try and keep a straight face as Masaki pulled his rather fancy pistol from his hip holster and set it down on the table. Nino didn't seem to have a gun on him, or more like he wasn't interested in letting anyone know he had one. Instead, he pulled out a packet of playing cards and started shuffling them like it was a nervous habit. Jun looked to Sho to do the talking - how much would he say? Would he come right out and say they were fugitives? He surely wasn't that stupid.

"We're seeking passage to the Sea of Sand. The two of us, as soon as possible."

If the pirates thought it a strange request, they didn't show it. "Nasty place for a honeymoon," Nino commented, cracking the cards between his fingers.

Sakurai nearly turned purple, and Jun looked away in embarrassment. "You misunderstand..."

Masaki snorted. "Nino, don't scare away the customers."

"Fine, fine." Nino looked straight at Jun. "Okay. What's in the Sea of Sand? Other than sand, of course?"

He felt Sho's boot press down on his own. The more details the pirates had, the more that could be used against them. "We're geologists from Keio Academy," Jun lied. "We've been unable to get government permission to conduct surveys in the area. We were hoping to find means of transport in other ways..." The bartender arrived, setting down the glasses of ale.

The pirates exchanged a look that seemed to be a silent language all their own. Jun wondered how long they'd been partnered - although it was pointless to be curious about thieves. Whatever they said was probably a lie anyhow. Nino split the deck of cards in two before shuffling them back together in seconds. "It's a long way. You...geologists have a means of payment I hope?"

"I deal in paper money," Sho admitted. "10,000 up front. Another 25,000 upon our return to Genji. Janizian treasury certified."

Where was Sho keeping all that money? Was he foolish enough to keep that many banknotes on his person?

"So we have to just park there and wait while you play in the sand?" Masaki asked with another laugh. He seemed to find everything funny.

"If that's going to be a problem..." Jun started, but Nino slipped his cards back into their box.

"20,000 upfront," Nino bargained. "And 50 upon return."

That was double! Jun looked across at Sho, who was surprisingly agreeable. "Very well, 20 and 50, as you request. When shall we depart?"

Masaki grabbed his glass of ale, and the three of them watched him down the beer almost in one gulp. He slammed the glass back down. "Oh, that hit the spot!" The pirate smiled, an almost dopey smile if Jun didn't see the way the man was drumming his fingers on the handle of his pistol. "Just have to get my girl warmed up!"

Masaki stood up, only to find a gun in his face. "Aiba Masaki," said the newest pirate arrival, a short, brunette woman in an old-fashioned tri-corner hat. Even if she was small and rather delicate looking for a lady sky pirate, the three burly men behind her were obviously her bodyguards.

"Becky!" Masaki said. "Ha-haven't soon you, uh, since...since...the Shimura job, right?"

"Oh, by the gods, Aiba," Nino grumbled, shoving his cards back into his jacket. He nodded to the angry-looking woman. "Becky. Nice to see you again."

"Going somewhere, boys?" Becky asked, cocking the pistol. "This is your usual exit strategy, isn't it, Masaki?"

"Exit strategy?" Aiba asked with a nervous giggle. "I thought we had a lovely time. Well, what I can remember about it anyway..."

"Maybe I should refresh your memory," Becky said, pushing the barrel of the gun against Aiba's forehead. "'Oh Becky,' you said, 'you're the only girl for me'. And then we..."

"Don't think I want to know this," Nino complained.

"...made love, right in the cockpit of my ship! And as soon as we're done with round three..."

Nino looked annoyed. "Round three? Seriously?"

Masaki grinned wickedly with his accomplishment, but Becky wasn't amused. "...you're gone with all my money!"

Aiba was suddenly sheepish. "Look, look, look. I picked up the wrong bag on my way out. And I totally meant to return your money..."

"You said you loved me!" Becky screeched, stomping her oversized purple leather boots on the sticky tavern floor.

"I do! I do!" Aiba said, eyes nearly crossing as he tried to look at the gun barrel pressed right to his face. "I just...you have to understand, sweetheart, this job can make even the best of us a little greedy."

"I'm with child, you imbecile! Your child!" she shouted, and even Becky's bodyguards took a step back. Jun had not known this Aiba Masaki very long, but the look that crossed the man's face was a pretty universal one. It was a look that clearly said "Oh shit."

Sho met Jun's eyes. They had obviously made a bad choice in pirate transportation, but there was no getting up and no escaping The Green Dragon. That was until Nino suddenly leapt up onto the table and threw himself at one of the bodyguards. Aiba ducked just in time for Becky's pistol to go off. The tavern erupted into fistfights and pirate brawling, and Sho dove under the table with a cowardly squeak, crawling under to the other side to grab Jun's arm.

"We have to get out of here."

"No kidding," Jun replied. Nino was swinging on the back of the bodyguard almost like a rag doll while Becky kept trying to get a shot off as Aiba dove for his own pistol. He and Sho weaved and dodged drunken pirates, having to crawl on their hands and knees out the door. They made for the alleyway, out of breath. Jun's cloak smelled of beer after another sky pirate had broken a glass of it over another man's head and Jun had gotten himself splattered.

"Okay," Sho said, hand against the brick alley wall, trying to stay upright. "Okay, the pirate plan. Maybe not the best idea I've ever had in my life."

Jun scowled at him, wheezing. "You think?"

"Have to admit though," Sho said, grinning. "It was fun to see the little one hanging off that bodyguard like a monkey."

And then the quiet was broken by shattered glass, and Nino and Aiba came charging down the alley. "Hurry up, hurry up!" Aiba cried. "Aerodrome's that way!"

Nino grabbed hold of Jun's hand and pulled him along. It seemed that the sky pirates were still inclined to honor their agreement. "Ship's about to depart, let's go."

Jun looked behind them, seeing the bloodied bodyguards and Becky in the tri-corner hat giving chase. The four of them weaved their way through the narrow alleys of Genji Lowtown, doubling back several times, at least as far as Jun could tell. They finally lost their pursuers and headed to the aerodrome, following Nino and Aiba to their berth. Where Jun had expected a swift-looking, sleek airship purchased with stolen gold, instead he saw an ancient metallic death trap. The hull had several dented panels, char marks and bullet holes from being fired on numerous times, and a naked woman painted along the side (though most of the paint from her navel down had chipped off).

"This is the Lotus," Aiba said proudly as he pressed the button for the side hatch. Nothing happened. He pressed the button again as Sho's jaw dropped. "Ah, sometimes she sticks a bit here." Aiba hit the panel with his elbow, and it finally opened. "See, that's my good girl. Gentlemen, after you?"

Jun crossed his arms and shook his head. "No. Absolutely not. I am not setting foot on that thing."

"Is it the naked lady?" Aiba asked. "Are you sensitive about that sort of thing? Honestly, she was there when we got her."

Nino was at Jun's side, as quiet as Aiba was noisy. Nino's thin arm linked through his own. "Don't you think it's best we get you settled, Your Highness? After all, the Emperor's guards are wandering about."

Sho gasped, and Jun froze.

"We weren't born yesterday, you know," Nino informed him with a grin. "You paid for beer in silver. I don't know which one of you is the prince and which one of you's the traitor, but this ship's leaving with or without you."

Aiba eyed them each in turn. "I think the taller one's the prince. Aren't princes supposed to be tall?"

Sho nervously boarded the Lotus, and Nino shoved Jun along after him. Aiba got the hatch closed, and Jun discovered that the inside of the airship was just as horrifying as the outside. It was, in a word, filthy. Scattered coins from a dozen nations mingled on the metal flooring with little trinkets and gadgets and bullet casings. And snack wrappers. "This looks like my dormitory when I was in university," Sho murmured as Aiba headed off for the bridge to get the ship ready for departure.

Nino didn't take offense to their suspicious looks. "You must think yourselves mighty clever, sneaking off the way you did. You might fool the Emperor's guards with those stupid cloaks, but you'll never fool a sky pirate. For one, what geologist travels without gear? And for two," Nino said, going right up to Jun and grabbing hold of his jaw.

"Hey!" Jun mumbled as Nino tugged his mouth open.

"As I suspected, all your teeth. White ones, too," Nino tsk-tsked in irritation. "You can dress a wolf in sheep's clothes but it's still a wolf."

"You will unhand Prince Jun," Sho protested. "He's not some piece of treasure for you to inspect, pirate."

Nino turned and laughed. "The rumor's been going through Lowtown all day. Why would someone help the Arashian dog get out of his pretty little cage? I think I get the picture."

"You know nothing," Sho continued. He opened up his pack and pulled out a handful of paper money. "Take your payment then, and see that we're well hidden."

Nino accepted the money without counting it, slipping it inside his jacket near his cards. It was only then that Jun saw the pistol holster within the jacket and the gleaming silver gun he kept there. He headed down the corridor opposite the bridge, gesturing for the two of them to follow him. "Masaki and I haven't transported human contraband in a while. There were the mail order brides that one time, though. Now that brings me back..."

He and Sho sighed, following the pirate through the ship. It seemed as though the Lotus served as home, transport, and workshop for the sky pirate duo. Nino pointed out cabins for both him and his partner as well as "Masaki's play room" which Jun wasn't sure he wanted to know about. Nino opened the engine room hatch, and a wave of heat hit back as the engines were already gearing up for departure.

"Afraid you'll be one sweaty little prince, but don't worry. Once we're clear of Janizian air space, I'll come let you out." Nino tugged on one of the panels, revealing a space nestled against the bulkhead. The control panel itself was fake, but Jun would never have guessed it was from its appearance. "Guards never check the engine room, trust me. They see the blinking lights, and they steer clear. In you go!"

Jun cringed, hopping up and into the wall. The opening was maybe two feet in height, four across, and maybe six deep. Not much room to get comfortable, especially on an airship about to take off. "Well?" he asked, looking to Nino expectantly. "Close me up?"

Nino grinned. "Come on now, we got four blushing virgin brides in here before." He looked to Sakurai. "Don't give me that look, Professor. Think of it like hide and seek. And you're both doing the hiding."

Jun was mortified, scooting over and turning on his side to give Sho enough room to get settled in the smuggling compartment beside him. Sho turned around, and they were suddenly nose to nose. Before they could protest, Aiba's voice came screeching over the intercom.

"Nino, this is the bridge. Nino, this is the bridge."

Nino moved away from the panel and looked down the long corridor. "I can see you from here, idiot!"

Aiba's voice ignored him. "We've got five of Janizu's finest en route to give us a thorough inspection before they give us clearance, over."

"Well, stay cozy, kids!" Nino said before shoving the panel back on and leaving them in the dark.

"Sakurai," Jun muttered bitterly.

"Your Highness?" Sho replied, and he was so close that Jun could feel the man's quick puffs of warm breath against his face.

"I'm going to kill you."

Sho exhaled a breath full of Janizian ale right in his face. "I don't doubt that, Your Highness."

\--

Jun kept his eyes shut, trying not to breathe too heavily. Or move at all. There was pointy, poking metal at his back and nothing but Sakurai at his front. They'd listened to Aiba and Nino lie through their teeth about their cargo, about their destination, and about pretty much everything else. Aiba had even bragged about discovering he would soon be a father, though he neglected to mention the part about his child's mother chasing him down with a loaded gun.

The ship grew warmer as the airship was granted clearance to depart, and it rose up and out of the aerodrome hangar. The Lotus was shaking, as though every movement was one step closer to the ship falling apart and crashing spectacularly to the ground. Jun suspected that it was long past the time for Nino to come back and open the panel, but it was probable that the sky pirates were leaving him and Sakurai crammed within as some sort of joke. A joke Jun didn't find one bit funny.

Sho had been extremely quiet since take-off, oddly quiet even after the Janizian soldiers had departed. Not that there was very much to say to one another, Jun supposed. They were now on board the world's most hazardous airship, piloted by two less than desirables who had never thought it necessary to clean up their messes. They were fugitives, and the entire Janizian Empire was probably looking for them. He finally heard Sakurai let out a quiet little moan.

"Are you alright?" Jun asked him. "Please don't use this time to inform me that you get airsick."

"I have a cramp," the man whined, shuffling a little in the compartment and kneeing Jun in the thigh. "Sorry."

Jun sighed, reaching up his arm and accidentally hitting Sho in the jaw with it. "Sorry." He banged against the metal. "Nino!"

"Your Highness, I'm sure if I just stretch it..." Sho murmured, twisting around and nearly kneeing Jun in the crotch this time.

Jun's fist hit the metal as hard as it could. "Nino, let us out!"

"What if I just turn...oh, my ankle!" Sakurai's back was to him now, the man's thick black hair almost in his mouth.

"Nino!" Jun shouted. "Pirate! Any pirate, let us out!"

Thankfully, blissfully, the panel opened, and Aiba was staring at them - Jun with one fist raised and the other attempting to push Sakurai away while Sakurai himself was contorted into some strange ball. "I think it's safe for you to come out now," Aiba said in amusement.

He wriggled his way out first, leaving Sakurai to moan and complain. "Have you had your fun now?"

Aiba nodded. "Nino owes me 200 Makuharian silver. I bet that you'd be the first to knock and want out. He thought your friend would get claustrophobic first."

"Well, congratulations on your minor victory," Jun grumbled, attempting to fix his hair as Sho pathetically slunk out of the compartment, gingerly setting his cramped leg on the floor of the engine room. The two of them looked considerably worse for wear - sweaty and slightly dirty from the greasy, metallic compartment. And yet their journey was still just beginning.

"How long until we reach the Sea of Sand?" Sho asked, wincing as he tried to put weight on his bad foot.

"Another six hours, at least," Aiba said, pulling his gun from its holster faster than Jun could even think. The pirate pointed it at them lazily, gun barrel wiggling between the two of them as Aiba yawned. "Which gives you two plenty of time to explain the real reason you need to go there."

Sho flushed. "You've been paid an advance already for your assistance. I don't see why this is any of your business," he blustered. Jun was quickly realizing that Sho's confidence seemed to vanish once he was away from the safety of Keio Academy and his bottomless knowledge of pointless historical matters.

Aiba shook his head, gesturing with the pistol for the two of them to head off to the bridge. They did so solemnly, trudging back down the corridor to find two seats in the cockpit just behind the pilot and co-pilot seats. They sat down - better here than in the bulkhead. Nino was currently in the pilot's seat, legs propped up lazily on the co-pilot's.

"Shouldn't you be paying attention to where you're flying?" Jun asked, almost relieved at the sight of the seemingly endless stretch of blue sky and white clouds ahead out the airship glass. At least that part of the Lotus had escaped bullet fire.

Nino laced his fingers behind his head, leaning back comfortably. "The joys of auto-pilot. Now, did you two get better acquainted in there?"

Aiba lifted up Nino's legs, sitting down in the co-pilot's chair and lowering them back down onto his lap. He gave Nino's boots an eager tap. "They were spooning."

"We were what?" Sho cried, and Jun had had enough of the teasing.

"As you've guessed," he began, ending the pirates' fun by speaking earnestly. "I am Matsumoto Jun, crown prince of Arashia. I seek to reclaim my throne. Sakurai here enabled my escape. Far to the west, beyond the sandsea wastes lies the tomb of Akihiko, the first king of my people. I seek a relic there that will prove my birthright..."

Sho was already crossing his arms and furrowing his brow in worry. "Your Highness, why are you telling them..."

"Because your royal friend has realized something very important," Nino pointed out, eyeing Jun shrewdly. "Haven't you, Jun?"

Sho looked ready to launch himself out of his seat, but Jun had grown used to a lack of respect in the past few years. He waved Sho off and looked back to Nino. He held up his wrists. He'd had plenty of time in the smuggling compartment to contemplate all that he and Sho had neglected to think about before. Namely getting themselves to the tomb in one piece. It would be a short rebellion without help. "I'm a mage with no power. Sakurai's got a brain and not much else."

Aiba laughed at that. Sho looked down in embarrassment. He explained their predicament - getting the Dawn Shard in order to seek the Guardian's blessing. But getting the Dawn Shard was no easy task.

"It appears that you and Aiba here are well-versed in ways of defending yourselves. It is my hope that you'll accompany us through the wastes to the tomb." They could not simply fly straight to the tomb itself - the wind currents over the Sea of Sand would deter even a Janizian airship. "And if at all possible, I wish for my powers to be restored. Better three of us to fend off whatever beasts roam the Sea of Sand than just two..."

"I can defend myself, too," Sho complained.

Aiba patted Sakurai on the knee. "That's cute. Really cute."

Nino cleared his throat for attention. It was obvious that their assistance beyond transport did not come without a price. "You are listening to yourself, aren't you, Jun? You're asking me and Masaki here to join your little ragtag revolution. I'm afraid I haven't the stomach for politics, and Aiba's got a baby to think about now."

"Babies need stuff, though," Aiba argued. "Clothes and food and cribs."

Nino scowled at his partner. "We could steal that, you know. I don't need to dirty my hands with a fool's errand. The bounty on us in the Empire is high enough, don't you think? Helping Janizu's public enemies number one and two won't do much to lower it."

"But he's a prince," Aiba shot back. "We could be helping royalty."

Jun held up a hand. "If you think to bargain your way into the Arashian treasury, you are sadly mistaken. I'm fairly certain Emperor Kitagawa's made away with any riches there years ago. I don't suppose you'd help us out of the kindness of your hearts in addition to what Sho's already paying you?"

"You'll find that Aiba's heart is far larger than my own," Nino said. "My own which is, oh right, I don't have one. Only a bottom line. A financial bottom line." The pirate turned to Sakurai. "Your prince won't pay up. Can you?"

Sakurai was the one who'd wanted to involve pirates in the first place, after all, Jun thought. He should have been prepared for the full cost it would entail. "By now, all of the assets in my name have most likely been frozen," Sho admitted, shuffling the pack in his lap, the only property he had with him. He loosened the strings on the pack slowly. "I promised 50,000 on our return, but if you promise to aid Prince Jun and see his cause through to the end, everything in this bag is yours."

Nino gestured for Aiba to examine the bag. Jun watched the man's eyes become large like saucers. "By the gods, Sakurai, you were carrying all this around with you? We should have just lifted this from you in the bar. I could change this to Makuharian silver and fill a swimming pool with it!" Aiba marveled before Sho snatched it back and held it protectively. Even Jun had to wonder how much money Sho actually had.

Nino smirked. "Just how high up were you?" he asked, eyeing Sakurai shrewdly. "Been a while since we've snuck around and pilfered from the Janizian aristocrats, but Sakurai's a name I've heard before..."

Sho, however, did not meet Nino's eyes. Instead, he looked straight to Jun. "My father is the leader of the Imperial Senate."

"Hold on a second, I always slept through my civics lessons," Aiba complained. "Who are you?"

Not only was Sakurai Sho a scholar at Janizu's top academic institution, Jun realized, but he was from the second most powerful family in the Empire, only after the Emperor's own family. "Wait a moment," Jun murmured. "You were next in line to govern the Senate? You're mad to follow me!"

"I made my choice," Sho said quietly.

Sakurai's father was the leading politician in the Empire? The only people Emperor Kitagawa trusted more were his Chief of Staff and top generals. Sakurai had been the heir to such a legacy, would have been responsible for the passage of all Imperial legislation. He was almost a prince in his own right. But he'd thrown it all away to help him. There was no greater treason Sho could have committed against his country other than assassinating the Emperor himself. All he could do was stare across the narrow airship aisle at the resolve in Sakurai's face. This man who'd gotten a silly cramp in that smuggling space. His savior.

Nino seemed to be pondering the pirates' next move. "Aiba. You'll want to be removing those sparkly bits of Janizian jewelry from our guest. If we're joining a rebellion, I'd like to be standing with the person who can summon fire, not against him."

Aiba smiled. "Roger that."

\--

It had taken almost an hour of digging through piles of scrap metal, but Masaki's "play room" had exactly what was needed to get the anti-magic bracelets off of Jun's wrists. The sky pirate considered himself a budding engineer, but Nino likened him more to a junk collector. Through trial and a lot of error, Aiba had "rescued" the Lotus from an Imperial junkyard and had gotten her flying again. He'd created his own tools and traps, enabling some rather sophisticated treasure hunting that had made him and Nino rather wealthy. It just seemed that Nino liked to keep his earnings in the bank rather than putting it toward airship upkeep or paying off the bounties on their heads. Unlike most pirates, Nino actually expected to see retirement someday rather than the hangman's noose.

At that moment, Jun was sitting on a metal stool at Aiba's work table, waiting for the sky pirate to leave him without hands. Sho was looking on nervously as Aiba fiddled with a shiny cutting tool with a diamond blade. "This'll cut through Janizian metal, no problem," Aiba had promised, though Nino had hinted that Aiba's enthusiasm occasionally got the best of him.

Nino crossed his arms. "You sure that's the right one? It doesn't look sharp. When's the last time you even used that?"

Aiba was undeterred. "Pretty sure it's this one. See, I even labeled it." He gestured to the cutter's handle, where "CUT GOOD!!!!!" had been scrawled by a sloppy hand.

Jun shut his eyes. "Oh gods, you're going to maim me..."

"Oh calm down," Aiba protested. "I'm a genius at this stuff."

"If you so much as draw his blood, pirate, you won't see any of my money," Sho vowed.

Nino agreed. "I think he's serious, Masaki. Their relationship would take a serious turn if only one of them had hands, you see."

Sho was instantly fuming. "I should have him take your tongue with that blade!"

Jun didn't bother to open his eyes. "Sho..."

"You will apologize for your implications and insinuations," Sho continued anyhow.

"I will not," Nino replied, sounding pleased with himself. There was little point in getting frustrated with the pirate, Jun realized. Without Nino and Aiba's assistance, he and Sho would most likely be dead by the Empire's hand already. And Nino knew it. "Aiba, today would be preferable."

"Okay Jun," Aiba said, and Jun felt the sky pirate's warm hand close around his forearm. "It'll be like cutting through butter. You'll be zapping things again in no time. And I'd appreciate it if you didn't zap me, thank you very much."

He held his breath at the first shrieking sound of the cutting tool against the metal on his wrist. It was a piercing noise, as though the metal itself was crying out for help. Aiba's cutting was quick and sure - in seconds, Jun opened his eyes, stunned by the loss of the weight around his wrist. He flexed his hand, seeing the pale skin bared again after four long years. He almost felt like crying, but that was the last thing he needed to do in front of three other men. And there was still his other hand to deal with.

"Don't get cocky," Sho muttered. "Concentrate."

"Yeah yeah," Aiba said, readying the blade again. This time, Jun watched Aiba's surprising concentration and seriousness as he brought the blade to the metal, slicing back and forth to weaken the metal before bringing the blade straight through and stopping just against the delicate skin.

Aiba set down the tool and moved the broken metal aside, adding it to one of the many junk piles lying around the room as Jun held out his hands, feeling an odd sort of sensation stirring inside him. Everything that had been suppressed was suddenly flowing back, almost like a dam bursting. He got down off the stool shakily.

"Your Highness!" Sho cried, moving forward, but Nino was there first with a steadying arm around his back.

"There we are," the sky pirate said gently, holding onto him tightly. Sho stepped aside, his eyes dark and angry as Nino led Jun out of the workspace and to one of the cabins. "I imagine it's something like a drug rush?"

Jun could barely acknowledge Nino, his whole body trembling. He was from the most powerful mage family - generation after generation, the Matsumoto family had preserved its power by ensuring that its leader married someone from an equally powerful family. The sheer potential within Jun had suddenly been restored, and he could barely draw breath. He wanted to cast, he felt like he could cast. Nino shoved him roughly onto the bed and returned with a pair of thick, woolen gloves.

"Hopefully this will keep your fingers from sparking and setting my room ablaze," he said, grabbing Jun's hands and shoving the gloves onto them.

"Is he alright?" Sho was asking from the doorway. He sounded far away, but only because everything did. Had it always been this intense, Jun wondered, the delightful feeling of magic coursing through his veins? From the tip of his toes to the top of his head, the magic returned, infusing nearly his whole being with all that been stolen away from him.

"He'll even out, I'm sure," Nino said, pulling a blanket over him. "I'll sit with him."

"You need to pilot the ship," Sho protested.

But Nino was already sitting at Jun's bedside. "I can watch him just fine. You go keep Masaki company up front."

He vaguely heard Sho walk away, and he tried to focus on the curved metal ceiling overhead. He felt like he'd burst, but Nino's voice then was surprisingly calm and measured, his cold fingers resting on Jun's wrist seconds later. He was confused at the man's sudden kindness.

"Relax."

"It is not something easily accomplished," Jun murmured. He could chant a healing incantation, could try and calm his entire body down, but it would be difficult to control. The spell could backfire - he could kill himself, hurt Nino, destroy the airship.

"Look at me." He turned his head, meeting the pirate's dark brown eyes. How many secrets lay behind them? How many plots and thoughts of treachery? But Nino held his wrist firmly, keeping Jun's gaze. "Just look at me and relax."

It was easier to focus on Nino's face than on the ceiling, on the metal he could freeze and break apart with a flick of his wrist. As the minutes ticked by, he felt his body start to slowly adjust, the trembling starting to ease. And all he had to do was stare into Nino's eyes.

"You," Jun murmured, noticing that Nino had been holding onto him the entire time. It suddenly made a lot of sense as to why he was being so tactile. "You're a mage, aren't you?"

Nino nodded. "A terrible one, I'm afraid. My great-grandfather was pureblood, but he left Arashia and married someone without abilities. And by the time my generation was born, there wasn't much magic left in the bloodline. But they say you just need a drop, right?"

The sky pirate released him, and Jun sat up uneasily. "I'd say you have more than a drop if you were so easily able to calm me."

Nino shrugged. "Well, that's part mage blood, part skillful manipulator."

"That little trick help with your thievery?" he asked.

"Like you would not believe," Nino said. "I leave it to Masaki to keep us armed. He leaves it to me to get us through the front door. Touch is a powerful thing, Jun. I can't cast to save my life, but a gun's just as good in a pinch, I'd wager."

It was an odd sort of destiny that had brought Sakurai Sho to his chambers in Genji. And an odder sort that had brought him to the company of sky pirates who knew exactly how to aid him. Perhaps his revolution would be a greater success than he'd imagined.

"Lest I continue to cause your friend distress by being so overly familiar with you, I suppose I ought to let you rest in here alone," Nino decided, getting up and heading for the door. "Save all those powers of yours for the Sea of Sand. I hear the beasties there are fond of tasty, delicious people. I don't intend to be anyone's meal."

Nino closed the door, and Jun slipped off the silly gloves the pirate had set on his hands. He licked his lips and stared at his hand, concentrating on the lines in his palm. He whispered the old but familiar incantation, and a small flicker appeared. Conjuring fire from the air around him had never seemed all that impressive before, but after four years, letting the tiny flame hover over his palm was the sweetest victory imaginable.


	3. Chapter 3

Aiba and Nino landed the Lotus in a small cavern at the edge of the Sea of Sand, and they emerged into surprisingly cool air. The vast deserts and dunes of Arashia were at their backs, and before them was a seemingly endless stretch of undulating brown. With a consistency thinner than quicksand, the Sea of Sand had long been impossible to get across. Boats could not maintain their buoyancy, and airships could not handle the currents overhead.

Decades earlier, a nation long since swallowed up by Janizu had managed to build platforms across it, setting up pumping stations and drill towers to try and harvest fuel from deep underground. Below the waves of liquid sand lay untapped reserves, but the treacherous landscape and the resilient creatures who resided there had sent the expeditions packing. Now all that remained were the abandoned platforms and metal bridges scattered across the sea. It would be a long journey on foot to Akihiko's tomb, but they were unlikely to see another human being for days. Of all the places Janizu would be looking for him and Sho, Jun suspected that the Sea of Sand was not a place the Empire would consider.

Nino was already grumbling about sand in his boots as he moved from a rocky outcropping and onto the first metal bridge. The walkways were only a few feet over the swirling sand, and Jun was grateful that the previous visitors had put guardrails all along the path. Getting knocked into the sandsea would be a sure death indeed. Nino had decided to lead, his jacket discarded in favor of a thin shirt and trousers to deal with the hours they'd be spending under the sun.

Jun followed, carrying no weapons. He'd already impressed his sky pirate companions and Sakurai as well by setting a cactus aflame as a practice run. His powers had not diminished during his captivity - if anything, his long hours of focusing and attempting to regain them had made his targeting all the more accurate. Sho, having no prior experience in combat, seemed rather resentful. Instead of handing over one of their weapons, the pirates had seen to it that Sakurai was carrying the heaviest burden upon his back. He had his own pack along with most of the water, food, and other supplies. The rest of them carried only enough so they wouldn't be slowed down. Aiba brought up the rear, whistling merrily as he marched over the platforms with his pistol at the ready.

It was an odd expedition, the four of them journeying across the precarious platforms. Nino walked with delicate steps, and Jun almost expected some of the metal to give way. They'd be swallowed up in an instant, but several hours passed and their journey had gone unhindered. They'd even made small talk, and Nino and Aiba had gleefully conveyed stories of their previous expeditions and all the danger they'd managed to survive together. Though their means of employment was one characterized by dishonesty, the two men themselves were close friends, almost like brothers, and they were deeply loyal to one another and, it seemed, once they had a goal in mind and coin in their pockets, they were inclined to see things through to their completion. They'd remain loyal to Jun's cause.

They finally stopped for a rest in the shade of one of the abandoned drill towers. Jun was starved - he'd had very little to eat since Sho had sprung him from his prison, and he had to force himself to slow down and savor his meal.

"So this Dawn Shard," Aiba said, sipping from one of the water skins. "It's a rock? I mean, does it look different from other rocks? Why couldn't you just show up in Kaibutsu with something and say it's the Dawn Shard?"

Jun grinned. "They say the Dawn Shard recognized Akihiko. It glowed in his palm and claimed him. It did nothing in the hands of other mages. I can only hope it will show me the same courtesy."

Nino chuckled. "Surely Aiba could come up with some sort of trickery to make a rock glow. If that's all it takes to prove yourself king of Arashia."

"It is bad enough that I have to rely on you for this much," he admitted. "I don't need to reclaim my rightful throne by bamboozling the Guardian."

Nino gave him a playful shove. "A prince should know a few cons here and there. When you reclaim your throne, you'll have the ear of anyone in your kingdom. You know how stuffy bureaucrats are. If you want something done, you need to know how to talk the talk."

He rolled his eyes. "I'd rather not rule in such a manner. And I did pay close attention to my father. Governance is not something so foreign that I require lessons in it from a sky pirate."

"Suit yourself," Nino replied, munching on a biscuit. "You're no fun."

"Definitely no fun," Aiba chimed in. "But you did turn that cactus into a crisp, so I'm kind of impressed by you otherwise."

Jun snorted. "I think your attempts at flattery could use some work, Masaki."

The three of them laughed, gathering up their things. Jun noticed that Sho had sat a little further away, eating little and remaining quiet. Had the full extent of what he'd done sunk in? Was he regretting his decision to abandon his country? He let Nino and Aiba walk on ahead while Sho hoisted the large packs onto his back.

"Did you have enough to eat?" he asked quietly, heading out of the shade and back out onto the windy platforms. Sho said nothing, only nodding quickly as he started to walk.

And so it continued for the next two days. Nothing but walking, resting, setting up a makeshift camp inside one of the pumping stations. Jun used his abilities to ensure that their water skins remained full and set barriers around their camp while Nino and Aiba dispatched any stray carrion birds that attempted to dive at them while they walked. Few creatures had been seen on their voyage thus far - perhaps many of them had died out without human food sources to rely on.

It had been an almost relaxing journey so far. Where days earlier he would have expected Nino and Aiba to rob him and Sho in their sleep and disappear, he and the pirates had struck up an almost familial rapport. Aiba told dirty jokes, Nino did sleight of hand tricks, and Jun impressed them both with his magic. Though he'd initially been irritated by the pair of them, the two men were not as dishonorable as they'd first seemed. Jun felt grateful for their assistance - even if the pair of them didn't much care if Arashia was restored or not, they seemed to be loyal to Jun himself. But his growing friendship with the pirates was offset by how quiet Sho had grown over the course of their time in the sandsea.

On the third morning, they set out with little fanfare as the pirates led the way onward. After an hour of walking, Jun noticed that Sho hadn't said a word yet since breakfast. Nino and Aiba were teasing and joking, sharing stories as though they were in some pub reminiscing rather than out in a wasteland. It seemed that very little ever dampened their spirits. But Jun was beginning to worry about his other companion. Sho's silence at first had seemed like he was merely lost in contemplation, but after three days, something else had to be the matter entirely.

"Are you ill? Is the sun too intense for you? I could take one of the packs for a while?" he inquired, reaching for Sho's wrist but his companion sped up, avoiding Jun's touch.

"That isn't necessary, Your Highness."

He sighed. "These pirates pay little mind to my title. Since we're all comrades in arms now, you may as well address me by my given name, too."

"It is not something I am accustomed to doing," Sho said. "I wasn't raised to ignore such a thing."

"Very well," Jun said, beginning to grow annoyed. "Is something the matter? You haven't said anything in a while. That's the only reason why I am concerned."

"Your concerns are unfounded, sir. I'm fine," Sho insisted, wiping some sweat from his brow with a handkerchief. "Don't let me hold you back."

"Hold me back?" Jun asked. Nino and Aiba were getting further ahead, their conversation lost in the breeze that carried them forward across the sandsea. "You aren't holding me back. I wouldn't be here if not for you."

"A pack mule would be a fine substitute for me at this juncture," Sho said, an edge to his voice that Jun had not heard since the Genji stable where he had demanded that Jun listen to him. "You have the pirates and your own abilities to see you through to the tomb. Perhaps I should have remained on the Lotus and awaited your return."

This time Jun did manage to grab hold of Sakurai's arm, stopping him just as Nino and Aiba disappeared around the other side of a drilling tower. "Why are you acting like a petulant child? If this journey is too taxing, you should have said something earlier. Did you not ask to accompany me all this way? Did you not promise to remain at my side for as long as this journey lasts? Do not feel like you are burdensome to us because that is the furthest from the truth."

Sho would not meet his eyes, instead looking beyond Jun's shoulders, staring off into the distance. "Perhaps the sun is addling my mind. I am sorry for giving you reason to worry."

"You're like a stubborn old man," Jun said with a wry smile. "But I can ease your troubles the slightest bit. If you wish, I could heal you? Relax you?"

"Don't waste your ability on me..."

He gave Sakurai a shove. "If you think this attitude of yours is acceptable, I suggest you reassess it. You are not a burden, and you are not holding us back. At least not physically. But this defeatist behavior is. I understand what you've given up, I do. And I will be grateful to you for as long as I live."

"But you don't need me," Sho protested sadly, gesturing to the smaller pack. "Only my money. Nino and Aiba can provide you with transport, security, friendship. What do I have to offer but my money? I am a citizen of a nation that wished for yours to disappear, for your citizens to suffer. Money is all that I can give."

He grabbed hold of the scholar by his shoulders. "But I do need you! What is wrong with you? Where is the man who spent years plotting so I might escape? Where has that person gone? Where is the man who finally gave me hope after so many years with none? What has changed you?"

"You have changed me!" Sakurai blurted out. "It is you who has changed me, Your Highness."

Jun said nothing, sensing the slightest feeling of fire ignite within him. Not the bubbling joy that casting arose in him, but a different, smoldering flame. A feeling rather foreign, but enough to set his heart racing at the intense way Sakurai looked at him, at the way Sakurai may have been looking at him all along, and he hadn't bothered to notice.

"We've fallen behind," Sho said, his cheeks pink as he slipped out of Jun's grasp. "We should stick together. I will endeavor to keep any complaints to myself from now on..."

"Sho," Jun finally managed to choke out as he started to walk away. "We have a long way yet to walk. Please let me help."

Sho slowed his pace, allowing Jun to catch up with him. It was different from when he'd laid a hand upon Aiba's ankle, soothing his tired legs and feet after days of walking. It was different from healing a scratch Nino had earned from a low-flying attacking beast. He was healing Sakurai's uneasy mind when he brought his hand to the other man's face, but he was also selfishly taking the opportunity to touch him. The gentle ribbons of magic leapt from his own body, entangling them both as Jun's fingers rested on Sho's cheek gently.

Sho's eyes closed almost unconsciously, and he exhaled slowly as soon as the magic started to course through him and soothe his mind. Aiba had described the feeling of Jun's magic as being like a thousand tiny pin pricks at once - an almost painful pleasure as skin was repaired or relaxed. Jun watched the worry slowly drain from Sakurai's body, his limbs less stiff and stubborn. He couldn't help looking at Sho as he sighed in seeming happiness, not moving his hand even after the last tendrils of magic had trickled to the man's skin.

Sho's full lips were still trembling from the sensation of Jun's gentle healing, his eyes shut tight. Jun had trouble ignoring the sudden temptation to lean forward and claim Sho's mouth with his own. It was as though Sakurai's seeming confession had awoken similar feelings in Jun himself - Sakurai had not only pledged himself to Jun's cause, but he'd devoted the last several years of his life to Jun himself. These feelings were dangerous for them both, but it was already too late. Their rebellion had already intertwined them, and Jun had only just realized it. Yet the Dawn Shard would have to take priority. Sho had not worked so tirelessly and given up his livelihood for them to stray from the mission at hand.

He released Sho at the sound of gunfire - Nino and Aiba had obviously encountered some sort of animal. "Let's hurry," he muttered, unable to answer to Sho's rather sudden admission. And it seemed as though Sho wasn't fully accepting of his feelings either, his eyes opening and seeming to fill with embarrassment at the way he'd enjoyed Jun's healing. Touch was a powerful thing, Nino had said. More apt than Jun could even realize. They ran off to help their other companions, neither of them saying another word about what had just occurred between them.

Though they were both the type to remain silent, what had happened under the sun would now color every interaction they had. Falling for Sakurai Sho was simply not a complication Jun had expected.

\--

The tomb of his ancestor was far grander than he'd imagined. After five days' journey on foot, the platforms ended and rocky terrain began. The four men were thoroughly exhausted, but the sight of Akihiko's resting place deep within a narrow canyon was a worthwhile reward. It was a large mud-brick structure, ringed with towering, decorative columns. It was a place of almost ancient magic, and he urged the other three to remain behind him as he approached.

The others could not sense the protective barriers, but the presence of the magic raised the hairs on Jun's arms in an instant. It was obvious that the barriers had not been touched since Akihiko's time - the Dawn Shard had not been disturbed. "Arashian booby traps, huh?" Aiba asked as Jun halted at the edge of the invisible border.

"Will it allow us inside?" Sho asked, squinting to try and see what he simply could not. No matter how long the man had studied magic theory, the door to true knowledge would remain closed to him. Jun realized how truly special his abilities were, understanding why the Janizians had envied his people for so long.

"Maybe there's a password," Nino teased. "Some gibberish word from your great-great-great-whatever's time?"

Jun shook his head. Magics this strong took time to dismantle, but it wasn't impossible. "I need some time to concentrate without interruption."

"Well, take your time then," Aiba said. "Treasure's not going anywhere."

Just as Jun started to focus, looking for knots in the magic to unravel, he heard Sho's stifled gasp. He couldn't turn - once he'd begun to work at dismantling the barrier, he could not stop or he'd risk the spells backfiring and sapping his own power. "Whatever you do, Jun, you leave this to us," Nino announced at the sound of a rather horrifying roar.

Some creature had been disturbed. From the sound of it, it was larger than anything they'd slain en route to the tomb. Perhaps the magic of the area had increased its power. He took a deep breath, focusing on the barrier before him. He heard footsteps. Sakurai was behind him.

"It is a large beast," Sho muttered as Jun listened to Aiba and Nino take aim and start to fire. "I won't let it reach you."

He wanted to remind Sho that he had no means of defending them, but he could not stray from the incantations he was murmuring. "By the gods' light, I ask that you allow us safe passage. By the gods' light, let the barrier weaken. By the gods' light, I ask that you allow us safe passage..."

To his left and right, gunfire erupted, and the beast responded in kind, its noisy charging footsteps indicating that it was about to strike. "Masaki, draw him over here!" Nino called. "Over here, I said! Are you deaf?"

"By the gods' light, I ask that the four of us be allowed to enter..."

"Nino, his teeth are the size of my head!" Aiba shrieked, sending off another shot. "Damn it!"

"Hurry, Your Highness," Sho was begging him.

"By the gods' light, let the power protecting this place be dispelled."

He heard an awful scream, followed by a panicked Nino. He paused mid-incantation at the sound of it. "Masaki! Masaki!"

"Keep chanting," Sho said. "Do not stop chanting, I said I won't let it come near."

"Sakurai! Get Aiba's pistol!" Nino shouted, sending off a shot that must have hit if the beast's pained roar was any sort of sign.

Jun could just sense the magic unravelling before him, waves of power crumbling. He heard Sakurai scurry away.

"Aim for the head!" Nino was screaming. "The head!"

"I've never fired one of these things before!" Sho complained.

"Sakurai, watch out!"

The barrier fell, and Jun whirled, spying a beast that resembled a lion but was at least five times the size of one. Nino had clambered up onto a ledge and was firing down at it. Jun saw a massive paw about to descend right in Sakurai's direction, and Jun was casting before he even realized it. He held out his hand, shooting invisible ribbons of cold at the animal before it could harm Sho. The beast's howling ended abruptly as it froze from head to tail. Jun snapped his fingers, and the creature exploded into shards of ice all around them, dissipating into gentle snowflakes. One of his father's favorite spells.

Sakurai was still holding the gun in shaking hands as Jun approached, slipping it from his fingers. "The barrier is down," he said to the scholar quickly before hurrying over to where Nino was standing over Aiba's body.

Aiba's shirt had been thoroughly shredded, claw marks scratching across his body from shoulder to belly. The wounds were deep, and Nino fell to his knees at his friend's side. He'd most likely fallen unconscious from the pain. "Jun, you can fix him? You can fix him, can't you?"

Between dismantling the barrier and destroying the creature, Jun had used a lot of his energy, but seeing the pirate bleeding so copiously on the ground before him, he had no choice but to help. He knelt down, resting his hand over the pirate's chest. He'd healed worse than this fighting the Janizians at the front lines, but he hadn't used up so much of his magic before doing so. "I can, but I need to re-focus," Jun admitted. He met Nino's eyes. "Can you help me?"

Nino nodded, instantly reaching out a hand to take Jun's in his own. Their eyes met, and an intense feeling of guilt arose in his belly. He knew Sakurai was watching all of this, the way his hand was clasped in Nino's, the way they had to look at one another in order for Nino to help Jun recharge. But Sho said nothing, merely standing by and watching Aiba's blood continue to seep through his clothes. As he stared into the depths of Nino's eyes, he slowly felt his strength return.

"I thank you," he said quickly, finally looking away and returning his attention to the wounded pirate. As he calmly whispered the incantation, Nino and Sho looked on in awe as Aiba's wounds slowly stitched themselves together, the healing magic almost shimmering around his body. The pirate opened his eyes, breath returning in one noisy gasp.

"Masaki!" Nino cried, smacking his friend in the head immediately. "Don't worry me like that again. Idiot!"

Aiba smiled, staring straight up at the sky. "You have no idea how awesome that felt. I came back from the dead! Well, sort of."

Jun rolled his eyes, getting back to his feet. "Oh yeah, I'm sure it was worth a beast nearly slicing you in half."

"Never fought anything like that before," Aiba said proudly. "My kid's going to be super impressed with me when he grows up!"

"The barrier is down," Sho announced. "As soon as you're able, can you ensure that we can safely find our way inside?"

Nino nodded, helping Aiba to his feet. Jun's healing always had been rather effective - the pirate was already walking easily. The pirates headed up the stairs to the tomb's grand entrance, eager to look for traps to dismantle, while Sakurai held out a handkerchief. "There's blood on your hands," he said.

Jun accepted the handkerchief, doing his best to wipe himself clean. "Thank you."

"How did Nino help you?" Sho asked, and Jun easily detected the jealousy in the man's voice now that he'd thought to listen for it.

"He has a trace of mage blood," Jun said. "He cannot cast, but there is no quicker way for a mage to concentrate and regain his strength than to come into contact with another. It is almost like charging a battery."

"I see. The pirate is a man of many talents."

He gave the handkerchief back. "But he cannot translate the ancient writing as you can," Jun said. "Come, I'm going to need your help."

Sho seemed to perk up a bit at that. Jun knew how it felt to find yourself useless, helpless. Sakurai had been losing confidence in himself since their journey had begun, but now that they were at the tomb, Jun hoped that the man would be able to regain some of the fire and energy that had characterized their first meetings. That was the Sakurai he'd grown to care for.

Where the magic barriers surrounding Akihiko's tomb had ended, the booby traps began. Aiba and Nino had already managed to dismantle several tripwires along the tomb perimeter and had gotten the front entrance open. Sakurai entered, a look of awe on his face. To Jun, it was the tomb of an ancestor. To the pirates, it was a place for looting. But for Sakurai, who'd devoted his life to the study of magic and Jun's culture, it was a treasure that could not be quantified.

"No one has been inside here for hundreds of years," Sho said quietly, eyes darting all around once the four of them had entered the ancient structure.

Jun almost delighted in the way Sakurai's lips moved, murmuring the ancient words carved into the stone and painted on the walls once they were inside the tomb. Jun cast fire, lighting torches for them each to carry. He and Sho stayed back as the pirates' keen eyes looked for any other deterrents those from Akihiko's time had left behind.

They made steady progress, descending deep underground through ancient stone passageways. Between himself and Sakurai, they managed to translate the messages left behind. Most were prayers offered to the gods to ensure Akihiko's safe passage to the afterlife. Others recounted Akihiko's accomplishments as king, uniting the Arashian mage tribes into a stronger nation. Despite Jun's best efforts to ignore his history, he was almost strengthened by the words surrounding them. He would save Arashia - his ancestors wanted him to save Arashia. As they continued their journey, he could almost sense the power held deep within the tomb. The Dawn Shard was close at hand.

Nino and Aiba were at the next door, and Jun suddenly ordered them to stop just as Aiba was attempting to open it.

"You sense something," Nino said.

He nodded. It was as though something was reaching out, calling his name. Could they not hear it? Could they not feel it? "There is a barrier on this door. The Dawn Shard must be inside."

Sho moved past him to read the ancient script carved onto the doorframe. "It says 'only those who are of me may enter'. Those who are of me?"

"Akihiko's words," Jun said. "They must be. Only his descendants are allowed passage. I am the only one who can enter."

Aiba gave the wall a light punch in frustration. "Aww, that's not fair. What if there's piles of gold in there?"

He grinned. "I'm not inclined to carry out anything but the Dawn Shard. I'm sorry, Masaki."

The pirates stepped aside, and Jun focused. Without even having to ask, he felt the barrier dissipate around him, and the ancient stone moved aside. He turned to look back, meeting Sho's eyes. "Be careful," Sho said.

He nodded and stepped inside, hearing the stone door close and seal him within. But he was not afraid. He felt no sense of malice in the air, no last trick. It was a simple room with a sealed marble sarcophagus and just beyond that, a notch in the wall. Jun inhaled sharply, seeing the mottled blue stone resting there where it had been for hundreds of years, awaiting Akihiko's heir. He approached slowly, holding his torch aloft.

"I thank you," he murmured as he stepped around the sarcophagus, knowing his ancestor's bones lay within. "I thank you for this gift. I will see that Arashia is saved."

The stone was dull and cloudy and heavy in his hand as he lifted it up. There was nothing else in the tomb - what he held in his palm was all Akihiko had left for him to take. He stared at it, wondering if something was supposed to happen. It had recognized his ancestor, but that was according to legend. As far as Jun could tell, it was simply a spherical stone. If it was going to react, he didn't want it to do so inside the tomb where it could trap them all inside.

He headed for the door once more, and the magic in the air seemed to sense him. The door opened, revealing three waiting companions. "Well?" Nino asked first. "You get the rock?"

He held out his hand. "I did."

"And?"

Jun shook his head. "I'm not sure." It was cool in his palm and had thus far not reacted in any way. "Maybe I have to be outside?"

"It looks like a rock to me," Aiba said. "You're sure that's the right one?"

He scowled. "Remember how you nearly died earlier today? Because I will happily refresh your memory."

Sho stepped between them. "Alright, alright. We got what we came for..."

"I sure didn't," Nino grumbled, turning around and heading back the way they'd come. "All this way through all those traps for a rock. There were rocks outside, you know."

The pirates headed off, disappointed with their lack of treasure. Jun imagined that they'd soon get over it once they'd made their way to the Guardian and received the remainder of their pay. Sho held out his hand. "May I see?"

He set it in Sho's palm. "Were we right to base this entire mission on a rock?" he wondered aloud. "Do you think it will react at all?"

Sho eyed it closely, holding it under the torchlight. "We've got a long walk back to the Lotus. That gives us time to discover its true power."

"And if it does nothing?"

Sho handed the Dawn Shard back to him. "The Guardian will know what to do. We have to put our faith in him."

"I pray that he'll grant us an audience."

\--

After making their way out of the tomb, they waited patiently in the courtyard as Jun tried his best to make the stone react. He kept it in his palm, set it on the ground, and tossed it up into the air and kept it floating with a wind spell. But no matter what he tried, the rock remained a rock. He could see the frustration in Nino and Aiba's faces, and his own frustration mounted. Perhaps what had happened for Akihiko was a one time occurrence - something to justify his own power, and history had done its best to obscure the truth.

He had wasted enough of their time that day. He picked up the rock from the ground, shoving it angrily into his pack. "We should get moving."

As their journey back to the airship progressed, Jun's initial hopes diminished with each step further from the tomb. To think that he'd been surrounded by such power in Akihiko's resting place, and none of it had seemed to follow him. He stayed up late each night they made camp and woke early each morning, staring at the rock as if his sheer force of will would be enough to activate whatever magics might yet lay dormant within it. Sho had urged him to let the Guardian decide, but with each hour that passed, he wondered if it was even worth trying.

By all accounts, he was dead. Jun was fairly certain that the Janizian propaganda machine had spread the word about his demise while the Emperor's forces did their best to track him down. How could Prince Jun of Arashia have an audience with the Guardian at Kaibutsu if Prince Jun of Arashia was a dead man? A dead man with a useless rock.

It had been a long and mostly fruitless expedition, and tensions were growing. Nino and Aiba's initial cheer had calmed a bit, the two of them keeping more to themselves as they plotted out future adventures. They seemed ready to be rid of Jun and Sho as soon as they could. Sho himself had stayed up late, looking through what scrolls he'd brought with him, desperately looking for some nuance in the ancient script that might better explain the Dawn Shard's true power.

It left Jun alone to wonder if he could save his people at all. He had his magic, but what good were one man's spells against the Janizian army? He'd never be able to enter Hanayori - all of the anti-magic defenses the Janizians had set up there would render him useless once more. All he could rely on was some religious figure whose city floated above them all in the clouds to the east. Jun had gotten by on considerable luck thus far - had it already run out?

They'd reach the Lotus the following day, and he waited until the other three were asleep before taking the Dawn Shard from his pack and heading out of the drilling tower where they'd made camp for their final night. The air was chilled, and the metal walkways were nearly freezing to his bare feet. He didn't much care, walking for a few minutes to another platform, guided by the moonlight and stars. It was still rather dark, and he was grateful for the guardrails. The towers that dotted the landscape rose up like giant shadows in the distance, and there was an almost soothing sound as the liquid sand lapped up against the tower.

He sat down, leaning his back against the metal and setting the rock down before him. He remembered the long days he'd spent in captivity - already it seemed like a lifetime ago. Jun wasn't sure how much time had passed or how long he'd been lost in thought, but he heard footsteps approaching. He conjured up a ball of flame, spying not some beast but Sakurai, looking worried.

"Your Highness, it is dangerous to sit out here by your lonesome," Sho admonished him. "What if you tripped and fell in the sandsea? I'd be out a lot of money if you did something foolish."

Jun let the flame burn out and laughed. "Sakurai, did you just try to make a joke?"

"I did," he admitted. "I suppose it was a failure?"

"I'd find it more believable if Aiba fell into the sand, not me," Jun replied. He patted the metal beside him. "I'm not going to sleep yet. If you've come to scold me, you can sit with me for a while instead."

Sakurai joined him, sitting at his side. Jun realized it was almost easier to talk to Sho if he couldn't really see him. For days, he knew Sho had been watching him with some measure of concern. It was odd how their situations were reversed. On their journey to the tomb, he'd been the one to encourage Sho - it seemed that now the scholar wished to return the favor. And of course, there was what remained unspoken between them - a feeling that was rearing its ugly head now that Sakurai was sitting so close, the sleeve of his shirt brushing against Jun's own.

"Have you been out here every night with that stone?" Sho asked.

Jun sighed. "What else would you have me do? I cannot simply trust that the Guardian will believe it's really the Dawn Shard. I'll probably look like some charlatan, a pretender to the throne that is rightfully mine."

"You should see the way you look when you cast magic, Your Highness. I think the Guardian will see that in you," Sho said. "I've never seen a mage so focused as you. Nor have I seen one capable of the things you've done."

"You've probably not seen too many mages..."

"I said to you before that I saw you in Mita," Sho continued, interrupting him. "That was not a lie. And it was not the full truth of it either. I said that you visited sick children and allowed them to live full lives."

"Any mage with proper training could do so..."

"That matters not," Sho said. "But one of those children was my brother, my baby brother. He'd been born lame, an embarrassment to the family. No matter how much money we had or how much influence, my father did nothing to help him. The Sakurai family could not have someone tainted by deformity. The Sakurai family had to be the most powerful stock. And so against my mother's wishes, the child had been given away, left in an orphanage as though he'd never been one of us. That orphanage was in Mita. I visited every day after my lessons, never telling my father that I went to visit the child he'd cast aside. The doctors there told me that my brother's condition was curable. That any mage worth his stuff could reverse the deformity."

"But my father believed that to be a mage was unfair, an abomination of some sort. Playing at being gods among mortals. He and the Emperor see eye to eye on this issue, hence my family's continued influence and power. So my brother grew up alone in that place, and I could never say that I was his family, could never tell him why he'd been left behind. But then you came to Mita. That's when I first saw you, saw the way your magic helped my brother. Saw the smile on his face when he walked for the very first time. You did for him what my father would not and what I could not. And once healed, he was adopted by loving parents who would cherish him the way the Sakurai family had refused to."

"Even then, I knew that Arashia was the next target of the Empire, but I could not see you come to harm. Because of how you had helped my family, Your Highness, I was willing to give everything I had to see you rightfully restored. When my father and the Emperor wanted you and your father both assassinated, I was the one who suggested that perhaps you could be molded and manipulated into a puppet ruler. I had to ensure that you lived. My father has influence, and I saw the way he used it. So I used my own influence and position to see that you were kept safe. It took me several years, but I managed to release you and finally defy my father. I believed in you then. Those feelings have not changed. If anything, they've grown stronger since we've met."

Jun was heartbroken by Sho's admission. What had been a simple state visit for Jun had meant everything for a young man wishing for his brother to be healed. A brother that Sho could never see again. He was also in awe of Sho's daring - the only reason he'd spent four years in captivity was because of Sho. If it hadn't been for him, Jun would be long dead and forgotten. "Sho..."

"Please, you don't need to say anything."

"How can I not? I am afraid I may not be able to meet your expectations..."

He was shocked when Sho took hold of his hand and squeezed. "You and I, we are alike. We give in so easily to our doubts. So the stone isn't active. What does it matter? It is the true stone. The Guardian knows more than anyone. He will find in it what is necessary, I believe that."

"It's been a long time since someone has had faith in me," Jun admitted, lacing his and Sho's fingers together. And not just faith - something far more than that was evident in the way Sho looked at him. "I'm afraid it's not the most familiar feeling."

With each moment they sat together, the two of them slid further down a precarious slope. Sho knew it as well as Jun did. "When you are king," Sho said, "the world will be better. Of that I am certain."

"But when I am king," Jun said quietly, turning to face him. "You and I..."

He wasn't sure who moved first, but Jun managed to find Sho's mouth in the darkness, unable to deny himself any further. His lips were warm and waiting, and his heart pounded as they tested the waters together. It was slow at first, their mouths coming together briefly, parting, returning. He rested his forehead against Sho's and sighed. "Don't call me Your Highness. If there is one thing you do right now, Sho, you're going to call me by my name."

"If that is your wish," Sho replied, his breath catching.

He grabbed the other man by the back of his neck, kissing him again. He had changed Sho's life and in exchange, Sho had changed his. It had been many years since he'd been in the company of another, and controlling himself was a struggle. He moved until he was facing Sho, sitting astride his thighs and deepening their kiss. He could feel Sho's hands at his back, his soft moans only urging him on. He remembered the way Sho had reacted when he'd healed him before. He wanted to see the man come undone before him again.

This time when he brought his hands to Sho's face, he brought the lightest of sparks, tracing his fingers down Sho's cheek and to his neck. "Jun," Sho finally moaned, and he could feel Sho's interest growing underneath him. Jun's magic was powerful, and all the time he'd spent working to harness it paid off.

He blew against Sho's face, warm, while he dragged his fingers down Sho's chest, cold as ice even through Sho's shirt. It was taboo to use magic this way, a waste of his gifts, but with the way Sho was writhing and struggling beneath him, Jun didn't find it to be a waste at all. "Jun," Sho was begging him, "Jun, we cannot..."

It only urged him on, hearing his name said in such a way. He bit at Sho's lower lip, sucking and teasing before taking his mouth away and replacing it with his fingers, the ribbons of curative magic glowing against Sho's mouth. It provided just enough illumination in the darkness for Jun to see the undeniable pleasure in Sho's face. Sho's fingers slipped under Jun's shirt, lashing out and fighting back by digging his nails into Jun's skin. He moved from Sho's lips to the pulse point on his neck, biting hard enough to draw a strangled cry from him. He immediately replaced the pain of his teeth with the touch of his fingers and the stinging, pleasurable healing. He repeated the motion again and again, mingling cruelty with kindness, moving from Sho's neck back to his jaw and his mouth until Sho could bear no more of it.

"You use your gifts against me," Sho complained, his entire body trembling. "You are terrible."

He leaned forward, whispering sweetly in Sho's ear. "Do you wish for me to stop?"

"Do you intend to respect my wishes?"

He smiled. "Where's the fun in that?"

Sho turned away when Jun tried to kiss him this time. "You are walking temptation. You are keenly aware of what you are doing to me, yes?"

Jun sighed, moving off of him and getting to his feet. He held out his hand. "Don't fool yourself into believing you are the innocent one here," Jun warned him. "I see the way you look at me."

Sho took his hand, sighing as he got up. "Do you have any idea how difficult it was, being in that compartment on the airship with you?"

"What?"

Sho laughed, trapping Jun against the metal wall, a hand on either side of his head. "You think I actually had a cramp? One more minute in that damned space, and I would have done something truly shameful."

Jun licked his lips. "Like what?"

He could just tell how conflicted Sho was, how much he longed to continue what they'd started. Now that he'd had his first taste, he couldn't wait for another. But the last thing they needed was to wake up the pirates. Sho backed away, picking up the Dawn Shard from the platform and handing it to him. "Some other time."

As Sho walked away, Jun had to wonder if they'd ever be so lucky.

\--

The Lotus was still in her hiding spot upon their return, though a sandstorm had managed to blow through the cavern, coating the vessel in a thick layer of dirt. But it wouldn't make much difference, Aiba assured them as he ushered them all back inside. Once the ship rose into the skies, it would probably blow off.

Though it had been difficult, he and Sho had tried to keep a safe distance from one another. The scholar had struck up an odd friendship with Masaki as the days had gone by - despite his intellectual background, Sho seemed utterly fascinated by Aiba's strange ideas. The two of them chattered away, looking through various trinkets in Masaki's workshop while Jun remained in the cockpit as Nino flew them back east.

"Still no luck with the Shard?" Nino asked as soon as he'd engaged the auto-pilot once more.

Jun stared out the front glass. "None."

"You seemed far more distressed about that a few days ago."

He shrugged. "It is on the Guardian to assess my heritage now. I will bring the stone and bring myself. That is all that can be done."

"I see," Nino answered, and Jun could feel the pirate's eyes studying him. He did his best to ignore it, but Nino wasn't finished yet. "And if he doesn't recognize you as heir? What then? Is there a back-up plan? My vow to Sakurai was that I see this through to its conclusion. You get recognized as king, my job is done. But if there's this fuzzy gray area where the Guardian does nothing, what do you propose?"

He finally looked over. Nino wasn't so much conniving as he was attempting to plan ahead. Jun couldn't fault him for doing so - if their roles were reversed (and gods forbid that Nino was ever in the position of ruling a country), he wouldn't want to be tied to something doomed to fail.

"Perhaps you ought to pray that the Guardian rules in my favor," he answered, raising an eyebrow in challenge.

"Oh, I'm not much of a praying type," Nino said. "It's too bad Aiba and I will be taking all of Sakurai's money. He could have used some of that to bribe the Guardian."

Jun sighed. "Will you really take all of his money? Leave him a pauper?"

"If you become king and Arashia is granted independence, it doesn't necessarily undo the damage he's done to Janizu," Nino said. "That has crossed your mind, hasn't it? That he'll still have to face the consequences of what he's done?"

Jun's heart sank. He had not thought of that. "I wouldn't allow it."

"And if your attempts to protect him only turn folks against you?" Nino leaned forward, meeting his eyes. "Jun, think about it. If you're Arashia's king, you can't exactly be fornicating with a Janizian..."

"We have not yet..." Jun watched Nino's smile widen. "That is not your business."

"It may not be, but your people might not approve. And nor would Janizu. They may let you go, but old man Kitagawa would never let him live. Not after being tricked so thoroughly. As difficult as this is for me to say since I do like the fellow, stubborn as he is, you may have to let him go. For your people or for politics."

Jun shut his eyes. No, he couldn't bear the thought of it. Not after everything Sho had done for him. He couldn't just hand him over to certain death at Janizian hands. "I'll find a way."

"The time may come when you'll have to choose," Nino said. "Now I'm no soothsayer, I'm just someone who calls them as he sees them. What's that old saying? Heavy is the head that wears the crown?"

"How long until we reach Kaibutsu?" he said abruptly, not wanting Nino to say another word about it. He had to have faith - Sho had enough to spare, but he'd never be able to convince the Guardian of anything if he couldn't even convince himself.

"It'll be at least ten hours. I'd get some rest if I were you. And do remember that this ship is rather small. Voices carry, moans of a sexual nature even more so..."

He got out of his seat, departing the cockpit. "You never change, do you?"

"Don't you dare play Crown the King in my bunk!" Nino shouted. "Do you hear me, Matsumoto? I'll shoot you myself!"

He nearly ran into Sho in the ship's corridor. His conversation with the pirate was still stinging in his ears, and the thought of losing Sho made his hands turn to fists. Of course, Sho was none the wiser. "Was Nino yelling at you?"

Jun tried to smile. "He kindly suggested that I take a nap."

Sho looked confused. "Are you tired?" He pulled Sho into Nino's room and shut the door, hearing the pirate's laughter all the way from the cockpit. "Jun?"

He searched Sho's face, seeing everything there that he couldn't bear to part with. He thought of the useless rock they'd recovered, and the ten hours that separated them from the Guardian and from whatever fate awaited them. Sho leaned forward first, kissing him gently, if tentatively.

"No," Jun said, shaking his head. "No, that's not what I was implying in dragging you in here, I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Sho, truly."

He stepped back, pacing the small cabin floor, listening to the airship's engines hum.

"Maybe you should lay down. Nino's advice isn't always the worst thing in the world," Sho hinted.

Nino had also advised him to avoid any further entanglements with Sho, and that was advice he certainly didn't intend to follow. But he relented, slipping out of his boots and laying down on Nino's bed with a sigh.

"if you're worried about what the Guardian will say, then we share the same fear," Sho said. "I know you'd been imprisoned for a considerable time, but the old Guardian passed on a few years ago. They say the newest Guardian is close to our age. Of course, that's just the rumor. The Guardians rarely grant audiences these days." He shut his eyes, hearing Sho sit down on the floor at his bedside, leaning his head back against the mattress. "Have you been to Kaibutsu before?"

"Once, as a child. My father went, set up a few barriers for one of the Guardian's staff. I never met the man himself."

"I've never been. Not that I'd have much interest in a floating city. I'm not all that fond of high places."

Jun chuckled, opening his eyes again to see the fear in the man's face. "Sakurai, they have barriers in place to keep folks from falling off."

"Invisible ones," Sho reminded him. "You forget that we mere mortals cannot sense what you can. To us, it looks like a fairly straight drop to your certain doom."

"Don't let those pirates overhear you. They'll find a way to exploit your weakness."

Sho turned to look at him. "They're already getting all my money. They needn't add any insult to injury."

He patted Sho on the head teasingly. "You're the one who handed Aiba the bag and promised him all of it, if I recall correctly."

"I did at that."

They grew silent, Jun's hand remaining slightly tangled in Sho's hair as he remained seated at his bedside. Would it be so impossible to ask the Guardian for two favors? If they managed to get into the man's chamber, would it really be so selfish to not only ask to be restored to his rightful throne but for Sho to be granted freedom or immunity or whatever was necessary to keep him from facing a Janizian firing squad? Would Sho even allow him to barter for his safety?

He drifted into an uneasy sleep as Sho remained within reach. But for how much longer?


	4. Chapter 4

It had been the magic of the gods that had allowed for the floating city of Kaibutsu to remain above the clouds. It was more a vast complex of white marble buildings than an actual residential city. There was no aerodrome, and pilots simply moored their airships in the courtyards of the southern quarter. Most visitors to the holy city came as pilgrims or as asylum seekers. The more the Guardians remained withdrawn and seemingly unwilling to meddle in secular affairs, the more devoted faithful traveled to Kaibutsu to try and receive blessings.

Emperor Kitagawa had traveled to Kaibutsu decades ago, Sho explained. He'd wished for the Guardian of that time to counsel him - and upon the Guardian's refusal to meet with him, the Emperor had simply seen it as an excuse to rule his lands however he wished. It was a popular story in Janizu, of the Emperor's break with Kaibutsu's usual wish for peace in the world. And wasn't Jun approaching the holy city with the same thought in mind? To receive counsel and guidance when all other paths had been closed to him?

Nino landed among several other vessels, grumbling about "parking out in the open." But it was a city of faithful, high above the sin and selfishness of the lower world. The four of them left the Lotus, Sho walking at his side almost overprotectively as they joined a long queue of faithful. It was this line that sought an audience with the Guardian. Jun remembered it from his childhood - he and his father's entourage had bypassed it in favor of a different building where he'd watched his father set up protective barriers and traps to protect the Guardian's treasury.

The queue snaked around the entire place, along colonnades and around corners, up staircases and back down. They bypassed the makeshift camps of the poor and unfortunate, begging for money or for passage back to the lower world. Many gave their life savings to try to see the Guardian, only to be rejected and have no means of returning home. And along the way they also saw men attempting to sell relics and useless trinkets. Though it was probably regulated by the Guardian's staff, it had still turned the holy place into a sideshow, and Jun wished for the queue to progress forward.

"They could post a sign," Nino was complaining. "From this portico, your wait is four days. From this step, your wait is eight years."

"It will not take us eight years," Sho laughed. "Nor will it take four days."

In fact, it only took five hours from the time they entered the queue, even with the amount of ground they covered (and Aiba's three whining breaks to relieve himself). It seemed that like most other days, the Guardian was seeing no one. Applicants were allowed to explain to the guards at the head of the line what their wish was, no matter what their request, and from there they awaited white smoke from the central tower where the Guardian held court. Since they'd gotten in line, there'd been no white smoke at all.

Jun grew nervous as they finally made their way to the green courtyard and final waiting area. They saw up close as faithful expressed their wish to meet with the Guardian, and the silence that ensued as an answer. He watched them turn around and head back, rejected. Would it be that quick for him? To say who he was and for no smoke to appear?

They finally reached the front, and Jun held the Dawn Shard in his fist, begging the gods to rule in his favor. Where he expected the guards to look bored, almost uninterested in their sacred duties, he was rather surprised by how uneasy they looked with each passing second. As applicants explained their situations, he saw their eyes dart around, almost as though they were looking for something. The tower behind them had an ornate wooden door that had remained shut the whole time.

Nino and Aiba had decided to become applicants as well, in the off chance that three of them asking to see the Guardian gave Jun a better chance than if he alone wished for an audience. Nino approached first, and as Jun's pulse started to race, he could feel Sho's eyes on him, watching and supporting him.

The guard seemed almost distracted. "Welcome to Kaibutsu, pilgrim. Your wish?"

Nino crossed his arms. "Yes, hello. How are you today?" The guard said nothing. "Right, I'm doing great. Love the fresh air up here."

"Nino," Jun chided him. Nino seemed to be of the opinion that the Guardian didn't meet with someone because of what they were actually asking about - the Guardian just seemed to choose people arbitrarily.

"Alright, so I'm dying to meet His Magnificence or whatever it is you call him. How about it?"

No white smoke arose.

Nino stepped aside with a sigh, moving across the lawn to wait. Aiba stepped forward, and unlike Nino, he actually looked nervous. Perhaps he was a true follower of the Guardian and hadn't really wanted to say anything, lest Nino mercilessly tease him for that in addition to myriad other things. Masaki clasped his hands together, bowing his head.

"Welcome to Kaibutsu, pilgrim," the guard said, clearly focused on something else. This was worrisome. Something was going on in Kaibutsu. Something was wrong.

Aiba tried to smile. "Yes, hi. Hi there. Hi, I'm Aiba Masaki. I'm from Makuhari. I just...ah, well, you see, I...I just received some kind of big news recently. You know, life changing news. So I was hoping the Guardian could tell me what I should do."

But Masaki would receive no parenting advice. No white smoke appeared for his request either.

It was Jun's turn. He heard Sho's gentle whisper. "Remember that I will always believe."

It gave Jun the strength to stand up straight, holding the Dawn Shard before him and speaking before the guard bothered to greet him. "My name is Matsumoto Jun, and I..."

But there was an awful clamor as the door to the tower opened. The gathered crowd around them and behind them gasped, but the Guardian did not emerge. Instead dozens of guards in full battle gear started filtering into the courtyard.

Jun was cut off as the guard before him stepped away to address the crowd. "Nobody is to leave the city!" the guard cried. "The Guardian is missing!"

He felt Sho's hand at the small of his back in warning. What could this mean? Already Nino and Aiba were trying to meet their gaze, Nino tilting his head in the direction of where the Lotus was moored. Kaibutsu was the last place they needed to be if there was a manhunt going on. But how could the Guardian be missing? In all of history, none had been known to wander outside of the complex. Ever.

Just as he was slipping the Dawn Shard back into his pack, he and Sho ready to potentially fight their way back to the Lotus, Jun heard a voice that he hadn't in four years.

"What do you mean the Guardian is missing?" General Oguri Shun asked, marching at the side of another man in the crimson red and black of the Janizian royal family as they came from some place back further in the queue. To think that they'd come to Kaibutsu on the same day - and that Kitagawa's heir was probably there for an audience of his own! The Emperor's grandson, the new governor of Arashia. Akanishi Jin.

"Jun, move now," Sho said, pushing him, but it was already too late. He and Shun's eyes had met across the courtyard. "Jun, you have to move!"

Nino and Aiba had already disappeared, and the crowd was in a full panic. The Guardian missing, Kaibutsu on sudden lockdown, and the man who'd betrayed him four years earlier was only paces away. It was only when Shun indicated his presence to Jin that Sho had been patient long enough.

"We have to get out of here!" Sho cried, yanking Jun along around the outside of the queue. Already, the waiting faithful were rioting - the Guardian was their sacred leader. Without him, their world was upside down. Their way was mostly blocked as men, women, and children fled the charging guards. The air was thick with their sweat and their panic, and Jun tried to ease his and Sho's path through the masses by harnessing the powers of the winds from high in the clouds, moving people aside as gently as he could manage like the invisible hand of a god.

"Did he see you? Did His Grace see you?" Sho was asking as they tried to hurry, and they nearly tumbled down a stairwell.

"I don't know! I don't know!" Jun shouted. "But Shun did..."

Sakurai was no fool. He surely knew who Shun was if he'd studied as much Arashian court culture as he'd claimed. Already, Jun could hear the screams back in the crowd as Shun cast various spells to frighten people out of the way - he'd always been the shy type, hesitant to use his magic. It seemed that four years governing a defeated, angry people had changed him.

Bells rang out, announcing to the entire floating city that the Guardian was missing. Jun was discovering that the years cooped up in Genji had weakened him - Sho was running at quite a clip, ducking around columns and around panicking pilgrims. He did his best to keep Sho in his sights as it became even more impossible to hold onto one another while they ran. They made it all the way back to the courtyard, weaving among bored pilots who'd transported the faithful and jumping aside as airship engines roared to life and nearly sucked the two of them back into them.

Jun could see Aiba at the Lotus' entrance, screaming for them and waving his arm. The engines were already gearing up, and the deathtrap was ready for take off. Sho had been running along the far side and would have to double back, and Jun made it to the entryway first. "Finally! We thought you'd never be able to follow us!" Aiba said. "Get inside!"

But he couldn't. He turned, looking for Sho. He was a few ships away, diving out of the way as one took off just to his left and nearly blasted him off his feet. Nino grew impatient, and as the airship started to lift, Aiba hauled Jun inside. "Wait! We have to wait for Sho!" he begged, hanging onto the open hatch.

"He can jump for it! Here he comes!" Aiba said as Sho came running.

Jun stretched out his hand as the Lotus rose a few feet from the ground. He met Sho's eyes and saw the shimmer almost too late. Sho ran straight into the barrier that Shun had cast from across the courtyard, falling backwards and collapsing to the ground, body shocked into sudden unconsciousness by the strong magics. "Sho!" he screamed, nearly leaping out of the airship. He lifted a hand to try and cast a hover spell and bring Sho into the ship, but Aiba stopped him.

Aiba shut the hatch with pain in his eyes, and Jun wanted to blast the thing right off. Instead he raced to the cockpit, seeing Nino nervously directing the airship up and over the courtyard, dodging the gunfire from the Janizians. Jun saw Shun, Jin, and a dozen Janizian guards gathering around Sho's prone form. "Go back! We can't leave him!" he pleaded with Nino, who only kicked the Lotus' engines into further gear. Jun fell back against the seats as the airship propelled forward, rocketing away from the floating city.

"We have to go back!" Jun howled, an uncontrollable shower of sparks bursting from his fingertips and scattering across the control consoles.

Nino ignored him. "Can't stay. You'll get arrested, too."

He produced a ball of flame, holding it in Nino's face. "We are not leaving Sho behind!"

Aiba was behind him, grabbing hold of his wrist and lowering it before he dared to cast a dangerous spell in the cramped cockpit. "Jun, we're sorry..."

He whirled on Aiba, venom on his tongue. "If you truly were, you'd be fighting with me to get him back!"

"They won't kill him," came a calm, unfamiliar voice from behind them. The Lotus dropped altitude suddenly, and Nino hurried to regain the controls in his shock. Jun and Aiba turned to see a short man with spiky brown hair and rather casual clothes standing in the cockpit doorway.

"A stowaway?" Aiba asked, confused.

But the newest person on board the Lotus only had eyes for Jun. Those eyes were a little sleepy, and yet, Jun could instantly see a surprising depth to them as they regarded him warmly. "They won't kill him, not yet. It is not the Janizians' way. They will make it a spectacle first," the man said quietly.

Nino flipped several switches, getting out of his seat and shoving past Jun to put his pistol straight in their new passenger's face. "I don't take on stowaways unless they pay first." He cocked the pistol. "Who are you?"

But still the man was unaffected, only looking to Jun with surprising kindness. "Jun, I am so happy to finally see you."

He was still upset about Sho, replaying over and over in his mind the way Sho had looked, lying there on the ground after the barrier's magics had done their worst. They'd left him. They'd left him behind so they could escape. He could barely process the events taking place in front of him as the guilt crushed him. "I'm afraid we haven't been acquainted," he managed to mutter. "Who are you?"

"My name is Ohno Satoshi," the man explained, as though that provided a satisfactory answer. When Nino's gun didn't budge from his face, Ohno raised his hand to brush the gun barrel aside. "Though I suppose you know me better as the Guardian of Kaibutsu."

\--

Nino had flown them directly south over the sea with no destination in mind for an hour as they came to know a little bit more about their stowaway. While they'd spent hours in the queue to see him, the Guardian himself had intentionally hidden aboard the Lotus in order to meet Jun - he'd snuck out of the central complex, evading all his protectors with ease. Though calm in demeanor, Jun could sense amazing power hidden within him, almost like a magical aura surrounding him. It was different from Jun's magic - the mages of Arashia commanded the elements and powers of healing. The Guardians, however, were blessed with the ability to know the past and foretell the future. After so many years in seclusion, the Guardian had acted. It would make history, if Jun cared about things like that. Which he didn't, definitely not now.

"I've seen you coming for so long," the man explained, sitting calmly in Aiba's co-pilot seat. As he spoke to them, his eyes would occasionally drift to look out the cockpit glass, as though the clouds could easily distract him. "In sleep and in my waking hours. Even as an acolyte years ago, awaiting my future appointment, I knew you would come to me with the Dawn Shard. I waited so patiently for you, but I guess when you finally arrived, I knew this was the best way for us to meet."

"But how could you know?" Jun asked. "The Empire has told everyone I'm dead."

Ohno smiled. "I know many things. It comes with the job."

"Alright then, Guardian. Impress me, or I'm dumping you right back at your little compound before there's a bounty on my head because of you," Nino said, still suspicious. "Three things about Aiba that only he would know."

"He's impregnated a lady sky pirate, and he wants to truly be a good father..."

"I did! And I do!" Aiba cried, immediately impressed.

"Lucky guess," Nino grumbled.

"He's weak to spicy food and once robbed a restaurant in retaliation for not telling him how much curry powder had been added to his meal..."

"True!" Aiba cheered, completely won over. "Nino, how could he know that? I never even told my mom about that, and I tell her everything."

Ohno's face grew a bit disgusted. "Oh, and Nino, Aiba once...pleasured...himself. In your bunk."

Nino was horrified, and Aiba turned beet red. "You did what?!" Nino screeched.

"You were on a date!" Aiba shouted. "And I was drunk and got in the wrong bunk! I wasn't thinking about you or anything!"

"For the love of...I don't want the details!" Nino screeched.

"I cleaned up!" Aiba informed him, and Nino kicked him in the shin. "Hey!" Aiba finally turned to Ohno in awe, rubbing his sore leg. "How the hell did you know that?"

"People say I'm strange. I certainly don't think so," the Guardian explained with a shrug. "I just...know things."

He'd had enough of this sideshow, not when Sho had been arrested. They couldn't just sit around listening to Ohno telling lurid stories about Aiba's various misdeeds. It was almost ridiculous how quickly he'd ingratiated himself with the pirates - maybe it was some holy charisma he'd never understand. Jun slammed his hand down on the console furiously. "Tell me the next step. You've been waiting so long, just tell me what I have to do! Are you going to recognize me as the proper king of Arashia or not?"

Ohno only smiled, as though there was nothing in the world that could bother him. "Of course. Why else do you think I came to see you?"

Jun held out the Dawn Shard. "It's just a rock! It doesn't do anything! How can this possibly be all you need to verify who I am?"

Ohno laughed. "The rock's just a formality. I know your heart. And I know that you will be king."

Nino sat back in his seat, still suspicious. "Alright, Mr. Global Religious Figure. So you're going to give Jun your blessing then? Fantastic. The sooner I can dump the pair of you off somewhere before the Janizians find us..."

"Nino, we can't do that," Aiba pointed out. "We promised Sho that..."

"And where is Sho now, Masaki?" Nino answered. "Dead."

"He's not dead yet," Ohno said in a sing-song voice, pointing to his all-knowing head.

"Well, he will be now that the Janizians have him. So really, the only thing we have to do is get Jun to the Emperor's palace, have our new Guardian friend tell the old man too bad, but Arashia's not his anymore, and off we go to our next tomb to plunder," Nino said.

Ohno's eyes were on him again, kind and almost sympathetic. "Jun has an important choice to make. Sho is a citizen of the Empire, and even if Emperor Kitagawa has no choice but to give up Arashia, he will not allow Sho to live."

"Can't you save him?" Jun begged him. "If your word is enough to grant independence to a whole nation, surely you could demand the Emperor let one man go!"

"It is not my place to save him," Ohno said. "I was born to become the Guardian, and it was my destiny to see Arashia freed and you crowned king. All of those things have fallen into place as I have foreseen for many years, and all of this will come to pass. But Jun, that is all the gods will allow of me. When it comes to Sho, my mind is clouded regarding his future. All I know is that he is not dead, and the Emperor himself will join his grandson in Hanayori to see the traitor executed. That will be in two days."

"Alright," Aiba said. "Then we just have to rescue Sho ourselves, is that the idea?"

Jun shook his head. "How? Three of us against the Janizian army? And the Emperor's personal guard? And in the middle of Hanayori where they've set up anti-magic defenses? It is suicide."

Ohno touched his arm, squeezing. "If you would prefer, we can wait until after the execution. I will then speak with Emperor Kitagawa, and the transition of power can start without any trouble."

He shrugged the holy man off of him. "What, just leave Sho to die and then waltz in and snatch my crown back?"

"If it's a choice between suicide and you know, not suicide, I'm inclined to go with not suicide," Nino said. "Just a thought."

"But what about Sho?" Aiba complained.

If they went straight to Hanayori, there was a strong possibility they'd be killed before Jun could even be recognized as alive and the rightful ruler of Arashia. But if they didn't go to Hanayori at all, Sho would surely die. He'd never have gotten this far without Sho - he would never forgive himself if he turned his back on him just so he could become king without incident. It was worth the risk.

He looked at Nino. "You need only get me to Hanayori. You can wait at the aerodrome with the Guardian if you'd like. I will rescue Sho myself."

"How? You won't be able to cast!" Aiba reminded him.

But Nino could see that Jun would not be swayed. "We keep our new mind reading friend safe. Sounds reasonable. We'll wait for you and Sakurai, and if we hear the guns go off in town square, we'll know to leave without you." Always looking after his own interests, Jun thought with a smile. He had to respect Nino for it.

Aiba shook him. "Jun, you have to let us come with you. You need back-up! How are you going to get Sho away from them without casting? They'll have him in front of a firing squad!"

He looked at the floor, shaking his head. "That's the part I haven't figured out. But I'll find a way."

Ohno smiled. "You already know the path to take, deep down. You will understand when the time is right."

"It would be more helpful if he could understand it now," Aiba complained, obviously distressed by Jun's decision. "You're sure you want to go alone?"

"I won't put either of you at risk, and we need to keep Ohno protected. And I can trust no one else to do that."

"Very well. In two days, we're dropping you in the middle of chaos," Nino said, returning to the controls. "I hope you realize what you're facing."

Ohno had said he would know what to do. The man had seen Jun crowned king already. He had to put his faith in the Guardian's predictions - for Sho's sake and for his own.

\--

Despite Ohno Satoshi's place as the spiritual leader of the world, he seemed to get along with criminals very well. Jun had spent the past two days in a growing panic as the Lotus casually flew around, hopping from port to port to avoid arrest at the hands of the Janizians. Ohno, however, had been having a grand time - instead of being cooped up in the buildings of Kaibutsu, seeing only his most trusted guards, he was finally enjoying a bit of freedom. He'd even talked the pirates into stopping at a lake to go fishing.

He didn't know how the three of them could so easily relax when Sho was in peril, but it seemed that Ohno's reassurances that Sho was still alive were enough. But even if Sho wasn't dead, it didn't mean the Janizians hadn't tortured him. He shut his eyes every time he thought of Sho being interrogated by the Emperor's grandson or by Shun himself. He knew Sho, knew his stubbornness. He'd never reveal details about Nino and Aiba or their airship. If anything, Sho would probably welcome his death at the end of whatever his treason had wrought.

Jun focused on his casting. He'd tried putting the anti-magic bracelets near him, the ones that Aiba had cut off of him. And every time he tried to cast even in the same room, he couldn't so much as produce a tiny flame. And that was from two broken bracelets. He'd be powerless in the center of Hanayori, surrounded by pillars of the same ore that stifled his abilities. But it didn't stop him from trying. He went without sleep until Nino found him on the floor of the workshop, sitting quietly with him, holding him close so he could regain his focus and control.

He had to save Sho. It was the only thought in his mind when Nino landed at the Hanayori aerodrome. In a pile of messy clothes in Aiba's room, they'd managed to pull together a Janizian guard's uniform, one of the many disguises the pirates had turned to over the years. To Jun, it was a betrayal to wear Janizian colors, but at the same time, it was the only way he'd be able to walk around in the capital and blend in. Ohno seemed almost excited about Nino shutting him up in the smuggling compartment, there to stay until Jun had returned with Sho or neither of them came back.

Aiba jumped at him, hugging him tightly. "You have to come back, promise me? I swear, we'll wait as long as we have to. No matter what Nino says, I know he'll stay. He'll never leave you behind."

"Shut up," Nino grumbled, ears turning slightly pink.

"Promise me, Jun, please? Don't do anything stupid! You have to live because I want you to be my child's godfather. I mean, that is, if Becky lets me within fifty feet of her ever again. And of course, well, if you want to be. I just think it would be awesome if my kid had a king for..."

Jun smiled, embracing Aiba in return. "That is a promise. Two promises. And I'll honor them."

Aiba stepped back, and Nino eyed him carefully before setting a Janizian guard's hat on his head. "There, that's perfect."

"Nino..."

The pirate shook his head, holding out his hand. "This is all I can give. It might not be enough, but will you let me?"

Jun took the man's hand gratefully, feeling reenergized almost immediately as he looked into Nino's eyes. Ever since they'd landed, he'd had a terrible headache from all the anti-magic pillars in the city, but the extra boost was a welcome aid. "I thank you. For everything."

"Just come back in one piece, okay?"

He nodded, departing the Lotus and the aerodrome. He kept the Dawn Shard in his pocket for luck - the useless thing had done nothing, only leading him to Ohno. Ohno who'd gone ahead and found him first. But he and Sho had found the stone together. He brushed his fingers over it in his pocket, allowing it to help him focus and stave off the increased pain as he wandered the streets.

Hanayori, his capital, was almost a shell of its former self. The castle rose up to the north, once imposing and now just the palace of a usurper. He knew that the Emperor's grandson now called it his home - if Ohno's predictions came true, then perhaps it would be Jun's home again. Already a crowd was shuffling through the streets en route to the execution. If there was any way for Akanishi Jin to solidify his authority over the Arashian people, a public execution of a traitor would do it. He wondered if the people walking down the street cared that the death of Prince Jun of Arashia had been reported.

The main square of Hanayori Old Town had once been a thriving area full of merchants and mages selling their wares or potions. Now there was a platform set up and a solemn crowd gathered around under the heat of the desert sun. To live in Hanayori now, Jun knew, was constant suppression, constant pain, the anti-magic markers ensuring the people were kept under their thumb. Jun's plan was stupid - rush the platform and do everything in his power to put a barrier between the firing squad and Sho. And if he was unable to cast, as he'd been unable to cast for two days, then Ohno was nothing but a false prophet.

He stood there among the crowd, and most gave him a wide berth due to his uniform. Finally, there was fanfare. Emperor Kitagawa himself had come to Hanayori, and Jun clenched his fists as the man who'd conquered his people and seen his father executed stepped onto the platform. He was frail, nothing more than a figurehead for his mighty Empire, as both Jin and Shun stood at either side of him. He held his breath as Sho was brought onto the platform, his hands and ankles shackled. Even from here, he could see the purple bruising that covered most of his face, and the painful way he limped forward. Jun fought hard to keep his rage in check. They'd hurt him. Badly.

Emperor Kitagawa himself announced the sentence - the prisoner, a citizen of Janizu who had aided the Arashian resistance, was to be executed. No mention of Jun at all. To the very end, Kitagawa would not acknowledge his failures. Jun started to move, slowly passing through the crowd to approach the platform. He could see Sho shaking as they made him stand alone, isolated in the middle of the platform while five soldiers began preparing their rifles to fire. Shun himself tied a white cloth blindfold over Sho's eyes.

For his part, Akanishi looked bored, as though the business of governorship was the last thing he was interested in. He lazily hung back behind his feeble grandfather, probably wanting the execution to end so he could get back to catch a nap. It only made Jun angrier, but he had to time it precisely. He took off the soldier's hat and jacket, dropping them to the ground.

"Does the prisoner have any final words?"

He watched Sho, the man he'd kissed and touched and fallen hopelessly for, stand up as straight as he could, even as he continued to shake. "What I did was right," Sho's voice rang out, loud and clear. "Arashia shall soon be free. Your prince is alive! He is coming to save you all!"

The crowd gasped, and Jun knew that was his cue. The Emperor angrily ordered his men to fire, and it all seemed to happen in slow motion. Perhaps time itself actually had slowed. His headache seemed to vanish in an instant, and his entire body grew hot as he leapt up onto the platform, putting himself between Sho and the firing squad. But unlike the bullets he expected to soon find embedded in his body, he wrenched the Dawn Shard from his pocket and held it straight out in front of him.

"For Arashia!" Jun screamed.

It pulsed only once before nearly blinding him with its sudden glow. Like an exploding star, the light of the Dawn Shard burst from his hands, and a shimmering barrier covered him and Sho behind him, the bullets from the soldiers' guns hitting the magical shield. He remembered Ohno's words at that moment as power he'd never felt before came from within him - "You will understand when the time is right."

"Hold your fire!" the Emperor shouted, and the crowd gasped. Jun continued to hold the glowing Dawn Shard in his hand, using the overwhelming power he'd been granted to keep the barrier up. He didn't know how he'd known to hold up the stone at that moment, but it had saved their lives.

"Jun," he could hear Sho saying behind him, fumbling blindly. "Jun, are you alright? Jun!"

The crowd was ecstatic. Powerful magic had just been cast in the center of Hanayori in utter defiance of Janizu - and the person who had cast it was their prince, returned to them at last. The barrier held even as Jun looked into the crowd, seeing the recognition in the faces on the other side of the platform.

"It is impossible!" Kitagawa screeched, nearly falling back. "You cannot cast magic here!"

"I can," Jun said, standing tall. "I can and I have. You will release this man."

"This man is a traitor," Jin grumbled.

"Well, so was I," Shun said suddenly, turning and pointing a pistol at the Emperor himself. "And what did I get for my troubles? What did I get for my sacrifices?"

The tables had turned in an instant. The Emperor himself had been embarrassed in front of the conquered thousands. The crowd cheered as Jun maintained the barrier, and General Oguri brought the most powerful man in the world to his knees, his hands raised for mercy. Jin rolled his eyes and knelt as well. "I told you, grandpa, you shouldn't mess with mages."

He could see the sorrow in Shun's face, how four long years of ruling the country he loved had aged him. Shun had betrayed him, and he knew it was a mistake. By all rights, Jun knew Shun's punishment ought to be death, but he only nodded. His friend had returned to his side at the most crucial moment. That was all that mattered now. Kitagawa would hold no power in Arashia ever again. His father's legacy would not fade away. The Dawn Shard's glow dimmed, and Jun allowed the barrier to dissipate into mist. He hurried to Sho's side, ripping the blindfold from his bruised face. "Sho," he said, "Sho, you're okay?"

Sho could only look at the glowing Dawn Shard in his hand. "The true king. Just like Akihiko before you," he said with tears in his eyes. "Long live the King of Arashia."

"Long live the King of Arashia!" Shun cried, and the crowd joined in.

The cheers continued, and it seemed as though the Dawn Shard's power had undone all the anti-magic barriers in the square. Jun stood at Sho's side, holding him up as the people of Arashia celebrated their amazing victory. Just as Shun was about to escort Akanishi and his grandfather away, the crowd before them parted, falling to their knees in reverence. Flanked at each side by a proud-looking sky pirate, Ohno Satoshi, the Guardian of Kaibutsu stepped onto the platform. He smiled immediately at General Oguri. "I see you received my message, General?"

Oguri knelt before him. "I did, Your Grace. If only I could have undone this earlier," he said, and Jun was confused.

"What's going on? Shun, what happened?"

"Oh," the Guardian said with a laugh. "When we stopped by that lake yesterday. I had a courier deliver a message from the bait shop."

"At the lake?" Aiba said. "When the hell did you slip away from us?"

Ohno only replied with an enigmatic grin. "Sneaky little bastard," Nino grumbled.

Oguri approached. "I don't expect you to forgive me, Your Highness. Not now. Not ever, but when I received the Guardian's message with the seal of his signet ring, I knew that I had to obey."

"And what exactly did it say?" Jun asked, flabbergasted.

Ohno beamed. "It said not to stop you when you tried to save Sakurai's life. To have faith in you."

"You said what happened to Sho was clouded in your mind," Jun complained.

The Guardian shrugged. "I could still see what you planned to do. But you had to come to the right decision at the right time."

"Convenient," Nino sighed.

Jun looked over to Shun. "Why?" Jun asked him. "Why after four years would you return to my side?"

Shun smiled, bowing his head shyly. "I've never seen such power as you've just wielded. And I don't think I ever will again. Your Highness, you have my allegiance. Now and for always."

"Well, this is all very touching and sweet," Nino said. "I see that things have turned out okay here. Again, I'm not one for politics, so I'll be heading off..."

As he tried to slip away, Ohno grabbed him by the elbow. "Not so fast, pirate. You have to stay. I'm not the best with speeches, but this one's going to be a good one." He moved over and took Jun by the hand. "If I may, Your Highness, I think you have a kingdom for me to declare in your favor?"

Jun nodded. "That would be helpful, yes."

Ohno pulled him to the front of the platform to address the crowd, Emperor Kitagawa of Janizu trembling in utter submission behind him. The Guardian had never come out for him - instead, the Guardian had sided with Arashia. Word would spread far and near that the only time the Guardian of Kaibutsu left the holy city was for this very day. It would not be forgotten.

They stood there, their odd ragtag revolution, and Jun could feel tears in his eyes in happiness. Oguri Shun, Arashia's traitor redeemed once more in the eyes of his people and the eyes of his best friend. Nino and Aiba, a duo of sky pirates flying around in a messy deathtrap airship that had seen better days. Ohno Satoshi, the Guardian of Kaibutsu, the world's spiritual leader, and an oddly keen fisherman. Sakurai Sho, the man who'd sided with him and given all of himself to see him restored. And Matsumoto Jun. "The true King of an independent, sovereign Arashia!" Ohno announced.

Jun held the Dawn Shard aloft. The kingdom of mages had returned.

\--

THREE MONTHS LATER

\--

Shun was drunk from the coronation banquet wine, arm around his shoulders. "And he became the governor, but he always slept until midday and never wanted to attend to matters of state. It was only a matter of time before I went and broke you out of detainment myself."

Jun smiled, hearing his friend complain about the most trivial details of Janizian rule in Arashia under one Akanishi Jin. Emperor Kitagawa had reluctantly withdrawn his troops, and Janizu was now in a state of pending collapse. Now that Arashia had so spectacularly declared herself free, other nations were following suit, all under the Guardian's benevolent care. Ohno Satoshi had been quiet and calm when they'd met, and quiet and calm he remained even as he flew from border to border aboard his unofficial "official" transport, the Lotus.

There'd been whispers from east to west that the Guardian himself was becoming a bit of a sky pirate, but it seemed that the world's religious leader got to make up his own rules as he went. His two pirate escorts had gained worldwide renown as the men who'd made Matsumoto Jun's return possible, and they were milking it for all it was worth. Aristocrats were even inviting the two pirates to help themselves to their jewels just so they could say the "great Nino and Aiba" had visited (and pilfered from them). Nino himself wasn't necessarily fond of all the attention, but his retirement account grew more with each passing day while Makuhari's Aiba Masaki saved plenty of riches of his own - after all, he had a child on the way with his startlingly forgiving new wife. He'd proposed with the child's future godfather at his side, and it had been impossible for Becky to say no to a man who was friends with a king.

While Janizu pulled back more and more to salvage what land remained to it, Arashia had spent three long months uprooting any evidence of the four years of struggle. Hanayori was becoming beautiful again now that the anti-magic pillars were removed. It would take a few years more to fully erase what Janizu had wrought, but Jun had the confidence of his people behind him as well as the support of the people who mattered most. Arashia's former glory would return. The banquet was over, and the Mage Council had crowned him earlier that day before a crowd of thousands. Jun had stood on the balcony as his father had so many years ago, but this time with the Dawn Shard in his hand. The seemingly powerless rock from a faraway tomb had been the catalyst for a storm of change throughout the world.

He shoved Shun away from him, eager to rest. It had been a long day, and a long three months. The following day, Jun would be the true ruler of his people - tonight he had other plans.

He walked through the halls of the castle, his father's castle. And now his own. He entered his bedchamber, dismissing his attendants. There'd be no attempts on the life of the man who'd wielded the Dawn Shard, at least not tonight. Either way, Ohno had been in Hanayori for the celebration, and his security detail was far higher than Jun's. Once he was in his chambers, he slid out of the heavy robes immediately, having already left his diadem with an attendant. He'd gotten far too used to not being dressed in royal finery and dressed in a simple pair of pajamas.

Jun could sense as soon as he'd closed and locked his door that he wasn't alone. He'd ordered for the windows to be left open earlier, but now they were shut, no breeze disturbing the curtains. He nodded, suspecting that through some sort of sky pirate cleverness, Nino and Aiba had managed to help him to sneak about for a surprise. But it wasn't all that surprising when he could see two brown leather boots poking out beneath one of the drapes. He'd had Nino and Aiba's help to a point, but if there was anything Jun had learned about Sakurai Sho, it was that he was not always as clever as he thought himself to be.

Though there'd been initial objections to Sakurai joining the Mage Council, Jun's closest circle of advisors, on account of his lack of mage blood and his unfortunate heritage, a few suggestive words from the Guardian of Kaibutsu had helped the stubborn old mages to relent in this case. And after all, there would be no independent Kingdom of Arashia if Sakurai hadn't turned traitor, so it only made sense for Sakurai to be duly rewarded for his courage and assistance.

And Jun didn't think it was so terrible to be selfish and keep the Janizian scholar to himself.

He cleared his throat. "If you think I did not see you depart the banquet hall in the company of two certain scoundrels, then you are truly stupid."

The curtains trembled. "Well, you know I couldn't follow you up here. At least not tonight. The kingdom is watching."

Jun smiled. "Let them watch."

Sho poked his head out around the side of the curtain and frowned. "Neither you nor I have ever had much discussion about that sort of thing. Let me be clear with you, Your Highness. Much as I care for you, I'm not overly fond of being...exhibitionary."

Jun wiggled his fingers, calling on the air around him to part the curtains and fully reveal Sakurai's hiding place. "Would you come over here already and stop yammering?"

"Is that an order from my king?" Sakurai asked, stepping out and crossing his arms.

He moved forward, he and Sho meeting in the center of his chamber. Jun lazily slid his arms around Sho, putting his lips to the man's ear. "Sakurai, I haven't even begun to give you orders."

He could feel Sho shudder at the thought, his hand moving to Jun's cheek and thumb stroking his skin there. "Now that you are crowned, I could be put to death for daring to touch you."

"You very well could. If I wish it," he replied just as Sho brought their lips together roughly. He smiled into the kiss, shutting his eyes and feeling his blood head south as Sakurai continued to dare with his tongue and his teeth. Jun was king now - he'd see the laws followed or broken as he so dictated.

They broke apart, Sho hardly able to keep away. "I thought you'd like to know," Sho said, desperately attempting to manage his breathing even as Jun's fingers released the faintest trail of sparks up and down his back. "The Mage Council wishes for you to be wed soon."

"Not now," he teased, pulling Sho closer, desperate to increase the friction between their bodies. "Do not tell me of the Mage Council's wishes tonight."

"Just think of it though," Sakurai said, body jerking as Jun's magic continued to dance across his skin. "Some demure little bride. No time in the world for me. I'd surely miss this..."

Jun grinned, grabbing hold of Sho by his hair. "Did I not ask you to speak no more of this? I ought to have you beheaded for your insolence."

Sho licked his soft, full lips, leaving them wet and teasing. "Jun, has anyone ever told you how alluring you are when you're slightly mad with power?"

He shoved Sakurai down to his knees before him, unable to bear the lack of Sho's presence there any longer as he loosened the ties of his cotton pajama trousers. "And who but you made all this possible? I hope you're happy with your decision."

He saw Sho's brown eyes darken as he looked up. "Never happier, Your Highness."

"Good then. I hope you're ready to break a dozen more laws."

\--

THE END


End file.
